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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Old Testament Stories 



TO THE FOUNDING OF 
THE KINGDOM 



SELECTED AND EDITED 
WITH NOTES 

By 
Charles Harlow Raymond, M.A. 

MASTER OF DAVIS HOUSE 
LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL, LAWRENCEVILLE, N. J. 



1912 

Press of Phillips & Godshalk 
Trenton, N. J. 



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Copyright, 1912, 

BY 

Charles Harlow Raymond. 



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CONTENTS. 



I. EARLIEST STORIES 1 

1. The Creation. 2. The Creation of Eve. 

3. The Fall of Man. 4. The Murder of Abel. 
5. The Flood. 6. The Confusion of Tongues. 

II. STORIES OF THE HEBREW FATHERS 13 

A. Abraham. — 1. Abram in Egypt. 2. The 
Parting of Abram and Lot. 3. The Rescue of 
Lot. 4. The Birth of Ishmael. 5. God's Cove- 
nant with Abraham. 6. The Promise of Isaac. 
7. Abraham's Plea for Sodom. 8. The Destruc- 
tion of Sodom and Gomorrah. 9. The Casting 
Out of Hagar and Ishmael. 10. The Sacrifice of 
Isaac. 11. The Winning of Rebekah. 

B. Jacob. — 1. Esau's Birthright. 2. Jacob Ob- 
tains Esau's Blessing. 3. The Frustration of Esau's 
Revenge. 4. Jacob's Dream. 5. Jacob's Service 
for Rachel. 6. Jacob's Flight and Covenant with 
Laban. 7. Jacob's Return to Esau. 

C. Joseph. — 1. Joseph Sold Into Slavery. 2. 
Joseph in Potiphar's House. 3. Joseph in Prison. 

4. The Advancement of Joseph. 5. The Beginning 
of the Famine. 6. Joseph's Brethren in Egypt: (1) 
The First Journey; (2) The Return to Jacob; (3) 
The Banquet; (4) The Silver Cup; (5) The 
Reconciliation. 7. Jacob in Egypt. 8. The Con- 
tinuation of the Famine. 9. The Death of Jacob. 

III. THE EXODUS AND THE WILDERNESS— 69 

A. The Raising of a Deliverer. — 1. The Op- 
pression of the Israelites. 2. The Birth and 
Youth of Moses. 3. Moses' Flight to Midian. 
4. The Call of Moses at Mt. Horeb. 5. The 
First Step Towards Deliverance. 

B. The Ten Plagues and the Exodus. — 
1. The Plagues: (1) The Water Turned to 
Blood; (2) The Frogs; (3) The Lice; (4) The 
Flies; (5) The Murrain; (6) The Boils; (7) 
The Hail; (8) The Locusts; (9) The Dark- 
ness; (10) The Death of the First-born. 2. The 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

Destruction of the Egyptians. 3. The Journey 
to Sinai. 

C. At Sinai. — 1. The Giving of the Ten 
Commandments. 2. The Golden Calf. 3. The 
Dedication of the Tabernacle. 4. Jethro's Counsel 
to Moses. 5. Miriam's Leprosy. 

D. The Forty Years' Wandering. — 1. The 
Quails and the Manna. 2. The Disobedience of 
Moses. 3. The Fight with Amalek. 4. The 
Sending of the Spies. 5. Uprisings Against 
Moses: (1) The Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram ; 

(2) Korah's Punishment ; (3) The Plague and 
the Budding of Aaron's Rod. 6. The Death of 
Aaron. 7. The Fiery Serpent. 8. Balaam and 
Balak: (1) The Summons; (2) The Journey; 

(3) The Three Blessings. 9. The Inheritance of 
the Two and a Half Tribes. 10. The Death of 
Moses. 

IV. THE INVASION OF CANAAN UNDER JOSHUA, 117 

1. The Call of Joshua. 2. A Line of Scarlet 

Thread. 3. The Passage Over Jordan. 4. The 

Fall of Jericho. 5. The Capture of Ai : (1) An 

Israelitish Repulse; (2) The Sin of Achan ; 

(3) A Clever Stratagem. 6. The Deception of 
the Gibeonites. 7. The Defeat of the Five Kings. 
8. The Inheritance of Caleb. 9. The Cities of 
Refuge. 

V. UNDER THE JUDGES - 133 

1. Ehud the Deliverer. 2. The Victory of De- 
borah and Barak. 3. Gideon and the Midianites: 
(1) Gideon and the Angel; (2) The Altar of 
Baal; (3) Gideon and the Fleece; (4) The Over- 
throw of the Midianites. 4. Abimelech's Short 
Reign: (i) Jotham's Parable; (2) Abimelech and 
Gaal; (3) The Tower of Thebez. 5. Jeph- 
thah's Oath. 6. Samson, the Strong Man: (1) 
Samson's Riddle; (2) The Foxes and the Jawbone 
of an Ass; (3) Samson and Delilah; (4) The 
Death of Samson. 7. Micah and the Migration, 
of the Danites. 8. Ruth the Moabitess: (5) 
Naomi and Ruth; (2) Ruth Gleans in the Field 
of Boax; (3) The Winnowing of the Barley; 

(4) The Act of a Kinsman. 9. In the Days of 
Samuel: (1) The Birth of Samuel; (2) The 
Call of Samuel; (3) The Death of Eli; (4) 

The Ark Among the Philistines; (5) The De- * 

maud for a King; (6) Saul Chosen King. 



PREFACE. 



The need of a suitable text book for teaching the 
Old Testament to boys from thirteen to fifteen years 
old in Lawrenceville has caused this selection of stories 
from Genesis to the founding of the kingdom of Saul 
in Samuel I. The editor has felt that most of the 
books of select readings leave out too many of the 
most interesting stories, stories that every boy and 
girl ought to know, for they have been woven into 
the finest texture of our civilization. Other books 
give repetitions and details unnecessary for a growing 
boy or girl. And the Bible story, as retold by others 
to suit the youthful mind, is too diluted for those in 
their teens, or deducts and emphasizes moral teach- 
ings too much, and always lacks the rare literary 
charm of the King James version, which, with one or 
two very minor changes, is the text used. 

The notes have been made as simple and as brief 
as possible for the elucidation of the text and a 
proper understanding of the religion of the early 
Hebrews. At all times it has been kept in mind that 
the book is to be read and studied by boys with three 
years more of school ahead of them before entering 
college. 

C. H. R. 
Lawrenceville, N. J., 

August 21, 1912. 



I. EARLIEST STORIES. 



1. The Creation. 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth. And the earth was without form, and void; 
and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And 
the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 

And God said, Let there be light: and there was 
light. And God saw the light, that it was good: 
and God divided the light from the darkness. And 
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called 
Night. And the evening and the morning were the 
first day. 

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the 
midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from 
the waters. And God made the firmament, and di- 
vided the waters which were under the firmament 
from the waters which were above the firmament: and 
it was so. And God calleth the firmament Heaven. 
And the evening and the morning were the second day. 

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be 
gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land 
appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land 
Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called 
he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God 
said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yield- 
ing seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his 
kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it 
was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb 
yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding 
fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and 
God saw that it was good. And the evening and the 
morning were the third day. 

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament 



2 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and 
let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, 
and years: and let them be for lights in the firma- 
ment of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and 
it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater 
light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the 
night: he made the stars also. And God set them in 
the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the 
earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, 
and to divide the light from the darkness: and God 
saw that it was good. And the evening and the morn- 
ing were the fourth day. 

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abund- 
antly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that 
may fly above the earth in the open firmament of 
heaven. And God created great whales, and every 
living crature that moveth, which the waters brought 
forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged 
fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and mul- 
tiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl 
multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morn- 
ing were the fifth day. 

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living 
creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and 
beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And 
God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and 
cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth 
upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it 
was good. 

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after 
our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish 
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over 
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every 
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God 
created man in his own image, in the image of God 
created he him; male and female created he them. 
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 3 

fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and 
subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, 
and over the fowl of the air, and over every living 
thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, 
Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, 
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every 
tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; 
to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of 
the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every 
thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is 
life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was 
so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, 
behold, it was very good. And the evening and the 
morning were the sixth day. 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and 
all the host of them. And on the seventh day God 
ended his work which he had made; and he rested 
on the seventh day from all his work which he had 
made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sancti- 
fied it: because that in it he had rested from all his 
work which God created and made. 



2. The Creation of Eve. 

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the 
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 
life; and man became a living soul. 

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in 
Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow 
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for 
food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, 
and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And 
the Lord God took the man, and put him into the 
garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the 
Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree 
of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree 



4 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not 
eat it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou 
shalt surely die. 

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the 
man should be alone; I will make him a help meet 
for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed 
every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; 
and brought them unto Adam to see what he would 
call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living 
creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam 
gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, 
and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there 
was not found a help meet for him. And the Lord 
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he 
slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the 
flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord 
God had taken from man, made he a woman, and 
brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is 
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she 
shall be called Woman, because she was taken out 
of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and 
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they 
shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the 
man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 



3. The Fall of Man. 

Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast 
of the field which the Lord God had made. And he 
said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall 
not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman 
said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of 
the trees of the garden : but of the fruit of the tree 
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, 
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest 
ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye 
shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 5 

day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, 
and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And 
when the woman saw that the tree was good for 
food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,, and a 
tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the 
fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her 
husband with her; and he did eat. 

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they 
knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves 
together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard 
the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in 
the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid them- 
selves from the presence of the Lord God amongst 
the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called 
unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I 
was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? 
Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded 
thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, 
The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she 
gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord 
God said unto the woman, What is this that thou 
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent be- 
guiled me, and I did eat. 

And the Lord said unto the serpent, Because thou 
hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and 
above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt 
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy 
life: and I will put enmity between thee and the 
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall 
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto 
the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow 
and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth 
children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and 
he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, 
Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy 
wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded 



6 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the 
ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it 
all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall 
it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of 
the field: in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat 
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it 
wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust 
shalt thou return. 

And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because 
she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also 
and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of 
skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, 
Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know 
good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, 
and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live 
for ever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth 
from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from 
whence he was taken. So he drove out the man: 
and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden 
cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every 
way, to keep the way of the tree of life. 



4. The Murder of Abel. 

Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller 
of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, 
that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offer- 
ing unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the 
firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the 
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but 
unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. 
And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 
And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? 
and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest 
well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not 
well, sin lieth at the door: and unto thee shall be 
his desire, but do thou rule over him. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 7 

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came 
to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose 
up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the 
Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And 
he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? 
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy 
brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And 
now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath 
opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from 
thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not 
henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive 
and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. 

And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is 
greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven 
me out this day from the face of the earth; and from 
thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and 
a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, 
that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And 
the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth 
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And 
the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him 
should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence 
of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the 
east of Eden. 

5. The Flood. 

Noah was a just man and perfect in his genera- 
tions, and Noah walked with God. And God looked 
upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all 
flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is 
come before me; for the earth is filled with violence 
through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with 
the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms 
shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within 
and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which 
thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall 



8 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, 
and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt 
thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish 
it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in 
the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories 
shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a 
flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, 
wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and 
every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with 
thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt 
come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, 
and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living 
thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring 
into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall 
be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and 
of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of 
the earth after his kind; two of every sort shall come 
unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto 
thee all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it 
to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for 
them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God 
commanded him, so did he. 

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the 
second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the 
same day were all the fountains of the great deep 
broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty 
nights. In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, 
and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's 
wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into 
the ark; they, and every beast after his kind, and 
all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping 
thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, 
and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every 
sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two 
and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 
And they that went in, went in male and female of 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 9 

all flesh as God had commanded him: and the Lord 
shut him in. 

And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and 
the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was 
lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, 
and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the 
ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters 
prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high 
hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the 
mountains were covered. And every living substance 
was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, 
both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and 
the fowl of heaven; and they were destroyed from 
the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they 
that were with him in the ark. 

And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred 
and fifty days. And God remembered Noah, and 
•every living thing, and all the cattle that was with 
him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over 
the earth, and the waters assuaged. The fountains 
also of the deep and the windows of heaven were 
stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 
And the waters returned from off the earth continu- 
ally: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days 
the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the 
seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, 
upon the mountains of Ararat. And the waters de- 
creased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth 
month, on the first day of the month, were the tops 
of the mountains seen. 

And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that 
Noah opened the window of the ark which he had 
made: and he sent forth a raven, which went forth 
to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off 
the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to 
see if the waters were abated from off the face of 
the ground. But the dove found no rest for the sole 



10 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark; 
for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. 
Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled 
her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other 
seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of 
the ark. And the dove came in to him in the even- 
ing, and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked 
off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from 
off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days, 
and sent forth the dove, which returned not again 
unto him any more. 

And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and 
looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 
And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the 
ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' 
wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living 
thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and 
of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth 
upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in 
the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the 
earth. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his 
wife, and his sons* wives with him: every beast, 
every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatso- 
ever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went 
forth out of the ark. 

And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and 
took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, 
and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the 
Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in 
his heart, I will not again curse the ground any 
more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's 
heart is evil from his youth: neither will I again 
smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 
While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, 
and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day 
and night shall not cease. 

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with 
him, saying, And I, behold, I establish Yny covenant 



int 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 11 

with you, and with your seed after you; and with 
every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, 
of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with 
you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast 
of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with 
you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by 
the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more 
be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This 
is the token of the covenant which I make between 
me and you, and every living creature that is with 
you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in 
the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant 
between me and the earth. And it shall come to 
pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the 
bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember 
my covenant, which is between me and you and 
every living creature of all flesh; and the waters 
shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 



6. The Confusion of Tongues. 

And the whole earth was of one language, and of 
one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed 
from the east, that they found a plain in the land 
of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one 
to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them 
thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime 
had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us 
build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach 
unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be 
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 
And the Lord came down to see the city and the 
tower, w^hich the children of men builded. And the 
Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have 
all one language; and this they begin to do: and now 
nothing will be restrained from them, which they 
have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and 



12 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

there confound their language, that they may not 
understand one another's speech. So the Lord scat- 
tered them abroad from thence upon the face of all 
the earth: and they left off to build the city. There- 
fore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord 
did there confound the language of all the earth: and 
from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon 
the face of all the earth. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 13 



II. STORIES OF THE HEBREW 
FATHERS. 



A. ABRAHAM. 
1. Abram in Egypt. 

And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son 
of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in 
law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with 
them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land 
of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt 
there. And the days of Terah were two hundred 
and five years: and Terah died in Haran. And Abram 
took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and 
all their substance that they had gathered, and the 
souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went 
forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land 
of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through 
the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of 
Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto 
thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he 
an altar unto the Lord. 

And Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; 
for the famine was grevious in the land. And it came 
to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, 
that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know 
that thou art a fair woman to look upon: therefore 
it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see 
thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they 
will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I 
pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well 



14 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because 
of thee. 

And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come 
into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she 
was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw 
her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the 
woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he en- 
treated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, 
and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maid- 
servants, and she asses, and camels. And the Lord 
plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues, 
because of Sarai, Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called 
Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done 
unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was 
thy wife, Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I 
might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore 
behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And 
Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and 
they sent him away, and his wiie, and all that he had. 



2. The Parting of Abram and Lot. 

And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and 
in gold. And Lot also had flocks, and herds, and 
tents. And the land was not able to bear them, that 
they might dwell together: for their substance was 
great, so that they could not dwell together. And 
there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's 
cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and Abram 
said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, 
between me and thee, and between my herdmen and 
thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole 
land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from 
me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go 
to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, 
then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his 
eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 15 

well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed 
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the 
Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto 
Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; 
and Lot journeyed east: and they separated them- 
selves the one from the other. Abram dwelt in the 
land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the 
plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men 
of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord 
exceedingly. 

3. The Rescue of Lot. 

And there went out the king of Sodom, and the 
king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the 
king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, (the same is 
Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale 
of Siddim; with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, 
and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king 
of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings 
with five. And the vale of Siddim was full of slime- 
pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and 
fell there; and they that remained fled to the moun- 
tain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their 
way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, 
who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 

And there came one that had escaped, and told 
Abram the Hebrew; and when Abram heard that 
his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained 
servants, born in his own house, three hundred and 
eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided 
himself against them, he and his servants, by night, 
and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, 
which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he 
brought back all the goods, and also brought again 
his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, 
and the people. 



16 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after 
his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and 
of the kings that were with him, at the valley of 
Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek 
king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he 
was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed 
him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high 
God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the 
most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into 
thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king 
of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and 
take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the 
king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the 
Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and 
earth, that I will not take from a thread even to 
a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing 
that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made 
Abram rich: save only that which the young men 
have eaten, and the portion of the men which went 
with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take 
their portion. 

4. The Birth of Ishmael. 

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children: 
and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name 
was Hagar. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar 
her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten 
years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her 
husband Abram to be his wife, and she conceived : 
and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress 
was despised in her eyes. And when Sarai dealt 
hardly with her, she fled from her face. 

And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain 
of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the 
way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, 
whence earnest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And 
she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 17 

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to 
thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will mul- 
tiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be num- 
bered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said 
unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear 
a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the 
Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a 
wild man; his hand will be against every man, and 
every man's hand against him: and he shall dwell 
in the presence of all his brethren. 

And Hagar bare Abram a son, and Abram called 
his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. And 
Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar 
bare Ishmael to Abram. 



5. God's Covenant with Abraham. 

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, 
the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I 
am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be 
thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between 
me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And 
Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, 
saying, As for me, behold; my covenant is with thee, 
and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither 
shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy 
name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations 
have I made thee. And I will make thee exceed- 
ing fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and 
kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish 
my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after 
thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, 
to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 
And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, 
the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land 
of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will 



18 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

be their God. And God said unto Abraham, As for 
Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, 
but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, 
and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless 
her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of 
people shall be of her. 



6. The Promise of Isaac. 

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of 
Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of 
the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, 
lo, three men stood by him : and when he saw them, 
he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed 
himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if 
now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, 
I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, 
I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest 
yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel 
of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye 
shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your 
servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. 

And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, 
and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine 
meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And 
Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender 
and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he 
hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, 
and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before 
them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they 
did eat. 

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? 
And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, 1 will 
certainly return unto thee according to the time of 
life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And 
Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind 
him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 19 

stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after 
the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed 
within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I 
have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord 
said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, say- 
ing, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time 
appointed I will return unto thee, according to the 
time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah 
denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. 
And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh. 



7. Abraham's Plea for Sodom. 

And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward 
Sodom : and Abraham went with them to bring them on 
the way. And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom 
and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very 
grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they 
have done altogether according to the cry of it, which 
is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the 
men turned their faces from thence, and went toward 
Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 

And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also 
destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure 
there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also 
destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous 
that are therein? That be far from thee to do after 
this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; 
and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that 
be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth 
do right? And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty 
righteous within the city, then I will spare all the 
place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and 
said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak 
unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes : per- 
adventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: 



20 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And 
he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not 
destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again, and 
said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. 
And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he 
said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and 
I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be 
found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find 
thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken 
upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there 
shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will 
not destroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh 
let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but 
this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. 
And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And 
the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left com- 
muning with Abraham : and Abraham returned unto 
his place. 



8. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

And there came two angels to Sodom at even ; and 
Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them 
rose up tc meet them ; and he bowed himself with 
his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold 
now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your ser- 
vant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, 
and ye shall rise up early and go on your ways. And 
they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all 
night. And he pressed upon them greatly ; and they 
turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and 
he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened 
bread, and they did eat. 

But before they lay down, the men of the city, 
•even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, 
both old and young, all the people from every quar- 
ter: and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 21 

Where are the men which came in to thee this night? 
bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut 
the door after him. And they said, Stand back. And 
they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, 
and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse 
with thee than with them. And they pressed sore 
upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the 
door. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled 
Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 
And they smote the men that were at the door of 
the house with blindness, both small and great: so 
that they wearied themselves to find the door. 

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any 
besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, 
and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out 
of this place: for we will destroy this place, because 
the cry of them is waxen great before the face of 
the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, 
which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you 
out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. 
But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons 
in law. 

And when the morning arose, then the angels has- 
tened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two 
daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in 
the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the 
men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of 
his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the 
Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him 
forth, and set him without the city. And it came 
to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, 
that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind 
thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the 
mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot said unto 
them, Oh, not so, my Lord: behold now, thy ser- 
vant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast 



22 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto 
me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the 
mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: behold, 
now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little 
one: O, let me escape thither, (is it not a little 
one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto 
him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing 
also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which 
thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither: for I 
cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. There- 
fore the name of the city was called Zoar. 

The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot en- 
tered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom 
and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord 
out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and 
all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and 
that which grew upon the ground. 

But his wife looked back from behind him, and 
she became a pillar of salt. 

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the 
place where he stood before the Lord: and he looked 
toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the 
land of the plain, and behold, and, lo, the smoke of 
the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. 



9. The Casting Out of Hagar and Ishmael. 

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and 
the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For 
Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old 
age, at the set time of which God had spoken to 
him. And Abraham called the name of his son that 
was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 
And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his 
son Isaac was born unto him. 

And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so 
that all that hear will laugh with me. And she said, 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 23 

Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah 
should have given children suck? for I have borne 
him a son in his old age. And the child grew, and 
was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the 
same day that Isaac was weaned. 

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, 
which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. Where- 
fore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bond- 
woman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman 
shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And 
the thing was very grievious in Abraham's sight be- 
cause of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let 
it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, 
and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath 
said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac 
shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the 
bondwoman w T ill I make a nation, because he is 
thy seed. 

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and 
took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto 
Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and 
sent her away : and she departed, and wandered in 
the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water was 
spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one 
of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over 
against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: 
for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. 
And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, 
and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; 
and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, 
and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear 
not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where 
he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine 
hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God 
opened her eyes, and she saw a well of w T ater, and 
she went and filled the bottle with water and 
gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and 
he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an 



24 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: 
and his mother took him a wife out of the land of 
Egypt. 

10. The Sacrifice of Isaac. 

And it came to pass after these things, that God 
did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: 
and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take 
now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, 
and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him 
there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains 
w T hich I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up 
early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took 
two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, 
and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose 
up, and went unto the place of which God had told 
him. 

Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, 
and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto 
his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I 
and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come 
again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the 
burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and 
he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they 
went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto 
Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he 
said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the 
fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt 
offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will pro- 
vide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they 
went both of them together. 

And they came to the place which God had told 
him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid 
the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid 
him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham 
stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay 
his son. And the Angel of the Lord called unto him 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 25 

out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he 
said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand 
upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: 
for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou 
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. 
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, 
behold, behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his 
horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and 
offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of 
his son. 

And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham 
out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself 
have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done 
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only 
son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in mul- 
tiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the 
heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; 
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So 
Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose 
up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham 
dwelt at Beer-sheba. 



11. The Winning of Rebekah. 

And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: 
and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 
And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his 
house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray 
thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make 
thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the 
God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife 
unto my son of the daughers of the Canaanites, among 
whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country, 
and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 

And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the 



26 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: 
must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from 
whence thou earnest? And Abraham said unto him, 
The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my 
father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and 
which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, say- 
ing, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall 
send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a 
wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman 
will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be 
clear from this my oath: only bring not my son 
thither again. And the servant put his hand under 
the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him 
concerning that matter. 

And the servant took ten camels of the camels of 
his master, and departed; for all the goods of his 
master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to 
Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made 
his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of 
water at the time of the evening, even the time that 
women go out to draw water. And he said, O Lord 
God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me 
good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master 
Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; 
and the daughters of the men of the city come out 
to draw water: and let it come to pass, that the 
damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I 
pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, 
and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same 
be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; 
and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kind- 
ness unto my master. 

And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, 
that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to 
Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abra- 
ham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 
And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin: 
and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 27 

and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and 
said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy 
pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord : and she hasted, 
and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave 
him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, 
she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until 
they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied 
her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the 
well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. 
And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit 
whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous 
or not. 

And it came to pass, as the camels had done drink- 
ing, that the man took a golden earring of half a 
shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten 
shekels weight of gold; and said, Whose daughter 
art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy 
father's house for us to lodge in? And she said unto 
him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, 
which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto 
him, We have both straw and provender enough, and 
room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, 
and worshipped the Lord. And he said, Blessed be 
the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not 
left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: 
I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of 
my master's brethren. And the damsel ran, and told 
them of her mother's house these things. 

And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was 
Laban : and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the 
well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring, 
and bracelets upon his sister's hands, and when he 
heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus 
spake the man unto me, that he came unto the man; 
and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And 
he saM, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore 
standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, 
and room for the camels. 



28 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



And the man came into the house: and he ungirded 
his camels, and gave straw and provender for the 
camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's 
feet that were with him. And there was set meat 
before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat, until 
I have told mine errand, and he said, Speak on. 

And he said, I am Abraham's servant. And the 
Lord hath blessed my master greatly, and he is become 
great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and 
silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, 
and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master's wife 
bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto 
him hath he given all that he hath. And my master 
made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife 
to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose 
land I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my father's 
house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my 
son. And I said unto my master, Peradventure the 
woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The 
Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with 
thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a 
wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's 
house: then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, 
when thou comest to my kindred ; and if they give 
not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath. And 
I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord 
God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper 
my way which I go: behold, I stand by the well of 
water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin 
cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give 
me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; 
and she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also 
draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman 
whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master's 
son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, 
behold, Rebckah came forth with her pitcher on her 
shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew 
water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 29 

And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from 
her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy 
camels drink also; so I drank, and she made the 
camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose 
daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of 
Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: 
and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets 
upon her hands. And I bowled down my head, and 
worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of 
my master Abraham, which had led me in the right 
way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his 
son. And now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with 
my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may 
turn to the right hand, or to the left. 

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The 
thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak 
unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before 
thee; take her, and go, and let her be thy master's 
son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken. 

And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant 
heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing 
himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth 
jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and 
gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother 
and to her mother precious things. 

And they did eat and drink, he and the men that 
were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose 
up in the morning. And he said, Send me away unto 
my master. And her brother and her mother said, 
Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least 
ten; after that she shall go. And he said unto them, 
Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my 
way; send me away that I may go to my master. 
And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire 
at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said 
unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, 
I will go. 

And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode 



30 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

upon the camels, and followed the man: and the 
servant took Rebekah, and went his way. 

And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi; 
for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went 
out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he 
lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels 
were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and 
when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For 
she had said unto the servant, What man is this that 
walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant 
had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, 
and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all 
things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into 
his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she be- 
came his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was com- 
forted after his mother's death. 



B. JACOB. 
1. Esau's Birthright. 

And Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; 
and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And 
Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison; 
but Rebekah loved Jacob. 

And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the 
field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, 
Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; 
for 1 am faint. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy 
birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point 
to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware 
unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles ; 
and he end eat and drink, and rose up, and went his 
way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 31 



2. Jacob Obtains Esau's Blessing. 

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and 
his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called 
Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son; and 
he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he said, 
Behold, now, I am old, I know not the day of my 
death: now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, 
thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and 
take me some venison; and make me savoury meat, 
such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; 
that my soul may bless thee before I die. And 
Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. 
And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and 
to bring it. 

And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Be- 
hold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, 
saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, 
that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before 
my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice ac- 
cording to that which I command thee. Go now to 
the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of 
goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy 
father, such as he loveth: and thou shalt bring it to 
thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless 
thee before his death. 

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, 
Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth 
man: my father peradventure will feel me, and I 
shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a 
curse upon me, and not a blessing. And his mother 
said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only 
obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his 
mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as 
his father loved. And Rebekah took goodly raiment 
of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the 



32 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 
and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon 
his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: and she 
gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had 
prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. 

And he came unto his father, and said, My father: 
and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? And 
Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; 
I have done according as thou badest me : arise, I pray 
thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may 
bless me. And Isaac said unto his son, How is it 
that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he 
said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me. 
And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, 
that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my 
very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto 
Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice 
is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 
And he discerned him not, because his hands were 
hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. 
And he said, Art thou my son Esau ? And he said, I am. 
And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of 
my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And 
he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he 
brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac 
said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 
And he came near, and kissed him : and he smelled 
the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said : 

See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field 
which the Lord hath blessed : therefore God give 
thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the 
earth, and plenty of corn and wine: let people serve 
thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy 
brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: 
cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be 
he that blesseth thee. 

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an 
end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 33 

out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau 
his brother came in from his hunting. And he also 
had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, 
and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat 
of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. And 
Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And 
he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. And Isaac 
trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he 
that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I 
have eaten of all before thou earnest, and have blessed 
him? yea, and he shall be blessed. 

And when Esau heard the words of his father, he 
cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said 
unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 
And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and 
hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not 
he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me 
these two times: he took away my birthright; and, 
behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And 
he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 
And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I 
have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have 
I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine 
have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto 
thee, my son? And Esau said unto his father, Hast 
thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me 
also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, 
and wept. 

And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, 
Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, 
and of the dew of heaven from above; and by thy 
sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother: 
and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the 
dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy 
neck. 



34 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



3. The Frustration of Esau's Revenge. 

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing 
wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in 
his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at 
hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these 
words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: 
and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and 
said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching 
thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. 
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, 
flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry 
with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn 
away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, 
and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then 
I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should 
I be deprived also of you both in one day? 

And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my 
life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take 
a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which 
are of the daughters of the land, what good shall 
my life do me? 

And Isaac called Jacob, arid blessed him, and 
charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take 
a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to 
Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's 
father; and take thee a wife from thence of the 
daughters of Laban thy mother's brother. 



4. Jacob's Dream. 

And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went 
toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, 
and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; 
and he took of the stones of that place, and put them 
for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 35 

And he dreamed, and, behold, a ladder set up on the 
earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold 
the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am 
the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God 
of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will 
I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as 
the dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad 
to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and 
to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all 
the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I 
am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither 
thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; 
for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which 
I have spoken to thee of. 

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, 
Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. 
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this 
place ! this is none other but the house of God, and 
this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early 
in the morning, and took the stone that he had put 
for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured 
oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of 
that place Beth-el: and Jacob vowed a vow, saying, 
If God will be with me, and will keep me in this 
way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and 
raiment to put on, so that I come again to my 
father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my 
God : and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, 
shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt 
give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. 



5. Jacob's Service for Rachel. 
r 
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into 
the land of the people of the east. And he looked, 
and, behold, a well in the field, and, lo, there were 



36 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well 
they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon 
the well's mouth. And thither were all the flocks 
gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's 
mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone 
again upon the well's mouth in his place. 

And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence 
be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he 
said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? 
And they said, We know him. And he said unto 
them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, 
behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. 
And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time 
that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye 
the sheep, and go and feed them. And they said, 
We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, 
and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; 
then we water the sheep. 

And while yet he spake with them, Rachel came 
with her father's sheep: for she kept them. And it 
came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter 
of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban 
his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled 
the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the 
flock of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed 
Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob 
told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and 
that he was Rebekah's son : and she ran and told her 
father. 

And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings 
of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, 
and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him 
to his house. And he told Laban all these things. 
And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and 
my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a 
month. And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou 
art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me 
for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 37 

Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was 
Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 
Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and 
well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, 
I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger 
daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give 
her to thee, than that I should give her to another 
man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years 
for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, 
for the love he had to her. 

And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for 
my days are fulfilled. And Laban gathered together 
all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it 
came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his 
daughter, and brought her to him. When in the 
morning he found it was Leah, he said to Laban, 
What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I 
serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast 
thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be 
so done in our country, to give the younger before 
the firstborn. We will give thee this also for the 
the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven 
other years. And Jacob did so, and he gave him 
Rachel his daughter to wife also. And he loved also 
Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet 
seven other years. 



6. Jacob's Flight and Covenant with Laban. 

And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the 
land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will 
be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and 
Leah to the field unto his flock, and said unto them, 
I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward 
me as before; but the God of my father hath been 
with me. And ye know that with all my power I 
have served your father. And your father hath de- 



38 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

ceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but 
God suffered him not to hurt me. And the angel 
of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: 
and I said, Here am I. And he said, I am the God 
of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and 
where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get 
thee out from this land, and return unto the land 
of thy kindred. 

And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, 
Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our 
father's house? Are we not counted of him stran- 
gers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured 
also our money. For all the riches which Qod hath 
taken from our father, that is ours, and our children's: 
now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives 
upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and 
all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his 
getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram, for to 
go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. And 
Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen 
the images that were her father's. And it was told 
Laban on the third day, that Jacob was fled. And 
he took his brethren with him and pursued after him 
seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the 
mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian 
in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed 
that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 

Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had 
pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his 
brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. And Laban 
said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou 
hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried 
away my daughters, as captives taken with the 
sword? Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, 
and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that 
I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with 
songs, with tabrct, and with harp? And hast not 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 39 

suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou 
hast now done foolishly in so doing. It is in the 
power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of 
your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take 
thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good 
or bad. And now, though thou wouldest needs be 
gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's 
house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? 

And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because 
I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest 
take by force thy daughters from me. With whom- 
soever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before 
our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, 
and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel 
had stolen them. 

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's 
tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he 
found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent 
and entered into Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken 
the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and 
sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but 
found them not. 

And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and 
Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my tres- 
pass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pur- 
sued after me? Whereas thou hast searched all my 
stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? 
set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that 
they may judge betwixt us both. This twenty years 
have I been with thee; the rams of thy flock have 
I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I 
brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my 
hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or 
stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought 
consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep 
departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty 
years in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for 
thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and 



40 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the 
God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear 
of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent 
me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction 
and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yes- 
ternight. 

And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These 
daughters are my daughters, and these children are 
my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all 
that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day 
unto these my daughters, or unto their children which 
they have borne? Now therefore come thou, let us 
make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a 
witness between me and thee. 

And they took stones, and made a heap: and they 
did eat there. And Laban said, This heap is a wit- 
ness between me and thee this day. Therefore was 
the name of it called Galeed, and Mizpah; for he said, 
The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are 
absent one from another. If thou shalt afflict my 
daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside 
my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness 
betwixt me and thee. And Laban said to Jacob, Be- 
hold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have 
cast betwixt me and thee; this heap be witness, and 
this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this 
heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this 
heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. The God 
of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of 
their father, judge betwixt us. 

And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. 
Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and 
called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat 
bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And early 
in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons 
and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban de- 
parted, and returned unto his place. And Jacob went 
on his way. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 41 



7. Jacob's Return to Esau. 

And Jacob sent messengers before hirn to Esau his 
brother unto the country of Edom. And he com- 
manded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my 
lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have 
sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 
and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, 
and womenservants : and I have sent to tell my lord, 
that I may find grace in thy sight. 

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We 
came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet 
thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob 
was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the 
people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, 
and the camels, into two bands; and said, If Esau 
come to one company, and smite it, then the other 
company which is left shall escape. And Jacob said, 
O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father 
Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto 
thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well 
with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the 
mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed 
unto thy servant. Deliver me I pray thee, from the 
hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I 
fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the 
mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will 
surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand 
of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. 

And he lodged there that same night; and took of 
that which came to his hand a present for Esau his 
brother; two hundred she goats and twenty he goats, 
two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch 
camels with their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, 
twenty she asses and ten foals. And he delivered 
them into the hand of his servants, every drove by 
themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over 



42 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 
And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau 
my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, 
Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose 
are these before thee? then thou shalt say, They 
be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my 
lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. And 
so commanded he the second, and the third, and all 
that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall 
ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye 
moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. 
For he said, I will appease him with the present that 
goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; 
peradventure he will accept of me. So went the pres- 
ent over before him; and himself lodged that night 
in the company. 

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, 
and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and 
passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and 
sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. 

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a 
man with him until the breaking of the day. And 
when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he 
touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of 
Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with 
him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. 
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless 
me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? 
And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be 
called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast 
thou power with God and with men, and hast pre- 
vailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I 
pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it 
that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed 
him there. And Jacob called the name of the place 
Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life 
is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun 
rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 43 

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, 
Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he 
divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and 
unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids 
and their children foremost, and Leah and her children 
after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he 
passed over before them, and bowed himself to the 
ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and 
fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And 
he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the 
children, and said, Who are those with thee? And 
he said, The children which God hath graciously given 
thy servant. Then the handmaidens came near, they 
and their children, and they bowed themselves. And 
Leah also with her children came near, and bowed 
themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, 
and they bowed themselves. 

And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove 
which I met? And he said, These are to find grace 
in the sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, 
my brother ; keep that thou hast unto thyself. And 
Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found 
grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my 
hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though 
I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased 
with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is 
brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously 
with me, and because I have enough. And he urged 
him, and he took it. 

C. JOSEPH. 

1. Joseph Sold Into Slavery. 

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the 
flock with his brethren; and Joseph brought unto 
his father their evil report. Now Israel loved Joseph 



44 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

more than all his children, because he was the son 
of his old age: and he made him a coat of many 
colours. And when his brethren saw that their father 
loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, 
and could not speak peaceably unto him. 

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his 
brethren: and they hated him yet the more. And he 
said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which 
I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves 
in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood 
upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, 
and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren 
said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? And 
shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And 
they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for 
his words. 

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his 
brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream 
more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the 
eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to 
his father, and to his brethren: and his father re- 
buked him, and said unto him, What is this dream 
that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and 
thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to 
thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him; 
but his father observed the saying. 

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock 
in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Go, I pray 
thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and 
well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So 
he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came 
to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, 
behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man 
asked him, saying, What seekest thou? And he said, 
I seek my brethren : tell me, I pray thee, where they 
feed their flocks. And the man said, They are de- 
parted hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 45 

Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and 
found them in Dothan. 

And when they saw him afar off, even before he 
came near unto them, they conspired against him to 
slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, 
this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let 
us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will 
say, Some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall 
see what will become of his dreams. And Reuben 
heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; 
and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said unto 
them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that 
is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that 
he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him 
to his father again. And it came to pass, when Joseph 
was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph 
out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was 
on him; and they took him, and cast him into a pit: 
and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. 
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up 
their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of 
Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bear- 
ing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it 
down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, 
What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal 
his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ish- 
maelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he 
is our brother and our flesh: and his brethren were 
content. And they drew and lifted up Joseph out 
of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 
twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into 
Egypt. 

And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, 
Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 
And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The 
child is not; and I, whither shall I go? And they 
took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and 
dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat 



46 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of many colours, and they brought it to their father; 
and said, This have we found: know now whether 
it be thy son's coat or no. And he knew it, and said, 
It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; 
Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob 
rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and 
mourned for his son many days. And all his sons 
and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but 
he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will 
go down into my grave unto my son mourning. Thus 
his father wept for him. 



2. Joseph in Potiphar's House. 

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Poti- 
phar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an 
Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites. 
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a pros- 
perous man; and he was in the house of his master 
the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was 
with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to 
prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his 
sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer 
over his house, and all that he had he put into his 
hand. And it came to pass from the time that he 
had made him overseer in his house, and over all that 
he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house 
for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was 
upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. 
And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he 
knew not aught he had, save the bread which he did 
eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well fa- 
voured. 

And it came to pass after these things, that his 
master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and it came 
to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he 
hearkened not unto her. And it came to pass about 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 47 

this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his 
business; and there was none of the men of the house 
there within. And she caught him by his garment: 
and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and 
got him out. And she laid up his garment by her, 
until his lord came home. And she spake unto him 
according to these words, saying, The Hebrew ser- 
vant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto 
me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up 
my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, 
and fled out. And it came to pass, when his master 
heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto 
him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; 
that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master 
took him, and put him into the prison, a place where 
the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in 
the prison. 

3. Joseph in Prison. 

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him 
mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper 
of the prison. And the keeper of the prison com- 
mitted to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in 
the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was 
the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not 
to any thing that was under his hand; because the 
Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord 
made it to prosper. 

And it came to pass after these things, that the 
butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended 
their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth 
against two of his officers, against the chief of the 
butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. And he 
put them in ward in the house of the captain of the 
guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was 
bound. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph 



48 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

with them, and he served them: and they continued 
a season in ward. 

And they dreamed a dream, both of them, each man 
his dream in one night. And Joseph came in unto 
them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, be- 
hold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers 
saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And 
they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and 
there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto 
them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me 
them, I pray you. 

And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and 
said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before 
me; and in the vine were three branches: and it was 
as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and 
the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: and 
Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes 
and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the 
cup into Pharaoh's hand. 

And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpreta- 
tion of it: The three branches are three days: yet 
within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, 
and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt deliver 
Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner 
when thou wast his butler. But think on me when 
it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray 
thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, 
and bring me out of this house: for indeed I was 
stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and 
here also have I done nothing that they should put 
me into the dungeon. 

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation 
was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my 
dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my 
head: and in the uppermost basket there was of all 
manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did 
eat them out of the basket upon my head. 

And Joseph answered and said, This is the inter- 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 49 

pretation thereof: The three baskets are three days: 
yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head 
from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the 
birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. 

And it came to pass the third day, which was 
Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all 
his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief 
butler and of the chief baker among his servants. And 
he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; 
and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand: but he 
hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted 
to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember 
Joseph, but forgat him. 



4. The Advancement of Joseph. 

And it came to pass at the end of two full years, 
that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the 
river. And, behold, there came up out of the river 
seven well favoured kine and fatfleshed; and they fed 
in a meadow. And, behold, seven other kine came 
up after them out of the river, ill favoured and lean- 
fleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink 
of the river. And the ill favoured and leanfleshed 
kine did eat up the seven well favoured and fat kine. 
So Pharaoh awoke. 

And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, 
behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, 
rank and good. And, behold, seven thin ears and 
blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. And 
the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full 
ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a 
dream. 

And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit 
was troubled; and he sent and called for all the 
magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: 
and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was 



50 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. Then 
spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do re- 
member my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with 
his servant, and put me in ward in the captain of the 
guard's house, both me and the chief baker: and we 
dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed 
each man according to the interpretation of his dream. 
And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, 
servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, 
and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man 
according to his dream he did interpret. And it came 
to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he 
restored unto mine office, and him he hanged. 

Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they 
brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved 
himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto 
Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have 
dreamed a dream, and there is none than can interpret 
it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst 
understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph 
answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God 
shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh 
said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon 
the bank of the river: and, behold, there came up 
out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well fa- 
voured; and they fed in a meadow: and, behold, 
seven other kine came up after them, poor and very 
ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in 
all the land of Egypt for badness: and the lean and 
the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat 
kine; and when they had eaten them up, it could not 
be known that they had eaten them; but they were 
still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke. 
And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears 
came up in one stalk, full and good: and, behold, 
seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east 
wind, sprung up after them: and the thin ears de- 
voured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 51 

magicians; but there was none that could declare 
it to me. 

And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of 
Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he 
is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; 
and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream 
is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that 
came up after them are seven years; and the seven 
empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven 
years of famine. Behold, there come seven years of 
great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: and 
there shall arise after them seven years of famine; 
and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of 
Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; and 
the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason 
of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 
And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh 
twice; it is because the thing is established by God, 
and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now there- 
fore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, 
and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh 
do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, 
and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in 
the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all 
the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn 
under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food 
in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the 
land against the seven years of famine, which shall 
be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not 
through the famine. 

And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, 
and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh 
said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as 
this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And 
Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath 
shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and 
wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house, and 



52 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



«J . 



according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: 
only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set 
thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took 
off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's 
hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and 
put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to 
ride in the second chariot which he had; and they 
cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him 
ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said 
unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall 
no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of 
Egypt. 



5. The Beginning of the Famine. 

And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood 
before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out 
from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout 
all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous 
years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he 
gathered up all the food of the seven years, which 
were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in 
the cities : the food of the field, which was round 
about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph 
gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, 
until he left numbering; for it was without number. 

And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in 
the land of Egypt, were ended. And the seven years 
of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had 
said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the 
land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the 
land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to 
Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the 
Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 
And the famine was over all the face of the earth: 
and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 53 

the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land 
of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph 
for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore 
in all lands. 



6. Joseph's Brethren in Egypt. 
( i) The First Journey. 

And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn 
in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent 
not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure 
mischief befall him. And Joseph was the governor 
over the land, and he it was that sold to all the 
people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and 
bowed down themselves before him with their faces 
to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he 
knew them, but made himself strange unto them, 
and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, 
Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of 
Canaan to buy food. 

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not 
him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he 
dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; 
to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And 
they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food 
are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; 
we are true men; thy servants are no spies. And 
he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of 
the land ye are come. And they said, Thy servants 
are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the 
land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day 
with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said 
unto them, That is it that I spake unto you saying, 
Ye are spies: hereby ye shall be proved: By the life 
of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your 
youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and 



54 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in 
prison, that your words may be proved, whether there 
be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh 
surely ye are spies. 

And he put them all together into ward three days. 
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, 
and live; for I fear God. If ye be true men, let 
one of your brethren be bound in the house of your 
prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your 
houses: but bring your youngest brother unto me; 
so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. 
And they did so. 

And they said one to another, We are verily guilty 
concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish 
of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not 
hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And 
Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto j^ou, 
saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would 
not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for 
he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned 
himself about from them, and wept; and returned to 
them again, and communed with them, and took from 
them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 

Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with 
corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, 
and to give them provision for the way: and thus 
did he unto them. And they laded their asses with 
the corn, and departed thence. And as one of them 
opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, 
he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's 
mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money 
is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their 
heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one 
to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 55 



(2) The Return to Jacob. 

And they came unto Jacob their father unto the 
land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto 
them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land, 
spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the 
country. And we said unto him, We are true men; 
we are no spies: we be twelve brethren, sons of our 
father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with 
our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, the 
lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know 
that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren 
here with me, and take food for the famine of your 
households, and be gone: and bring your youngest 
brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no 
spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver 
you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. 

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, 
that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his 
sack: and when both they and their father saw the 
bundles of money, they were afraid.. And Jacob their 
father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my 
children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye 
will take Benjamin away: all these things are against 
me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay 
my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him 
into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; 
for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mis- 
chief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then 
shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to 
the grave. 

And the famine was sore in the land. And it came 
to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they 
had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto 
them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah 



56 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest 
unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your 
brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother 
with us, we will go down and buy thee food: but if 
thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for 
the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, 
except your brother be with you. And Israel said, 
Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man 
whether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The 
man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, 
saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another 
brother? and we told him according to the tenor of 
these words: Could we certainly know that he would 
say, Bring your brother down? 

And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad 
with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, 
and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little 
ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand 
shalt thou require him: if I bring him not 
unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear 
the blame for ever: for except we had lingered, surely 
now we had returned this second time. And their 
father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, 
do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your 
vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little 
balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and 
almonds: and take double money in your hand; and 
the money that was brought again in the mouth of 
your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure 
it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and 
arise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give 
you mercy before the man, that he may send away 
your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved 
of my children, I am bereaved. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 57 



(3) The Banquet. 

And the men took that present, and they took 
double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose 
up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 
And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said 
to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and 
slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me 
at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade, and the man 
brought the men into Joseph's house ; and the men were 
afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; 
and they said, Because of the money that was returned 
in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that 
he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, 
and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And they 
came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they 
communed with him at the door of the house, and 
said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time 
to buy food: and it came to pass, when we came to 
the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every 
man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money 
in full weight; and we have brought it again in our 
hand. And other money have we brought down in 
our hands to buy food; we cannot tell who put 
our money in our sacks. And he said, Peace be to 
you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, 
hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your 
money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And 
the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and 
gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he 
gave their asses provender. And they made ready the 
present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard 
that they should eat bread there. 

And when Joseph came home, they brought him 
the present which was in their hands into the house, 
and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he 
asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father 



58 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? 
And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good 
health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their 
heads, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his 
eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, 
and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye 
spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto 
thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels 
did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to 
weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept 
there. And he washed his face, and went out, and 
refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they 
set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, 
and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by 
themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread 
with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the 
Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn 
according to his birthright, and the youngest accord- 
ing to his youth: and the men marvelled one to an- 
other, and he took and sent messes unto them from 
before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so 
much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were 
merry with him. 

(4) The Silver Cup. 

And he commanded the steward of his house, say- 
ing, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as 
they can carry, and put every man's money in his 
sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in 
the sacks's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. 
And he did according to the word that Joseph had 
spoken. 

As soon as the morning was light, the men were 
sent away, they and their asses. And when they were 
gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said 
unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when 
thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 59 

have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this it 
in which my lord drinketh, and w T hereby indeed he 
divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. 

And he overtook them, and he spake unto them 
these same words. And they said unto him, Where- 
fore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy 
servants should do according to this thing: behold, 
the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, 
we brought again unto thee out of the land of 
Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's 
house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy ser- 
vants it be found, both let him die, and we also will 
be my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also let it 
be according unto your words: he with whom it is 
found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. 
Then they speedily took down every man his sack 
to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left 
at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's 
sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every 
man his ass, and returned to the city. 

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's 
house; for he was yet there: and they fell before 
him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, 
What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not 
that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah 
said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall 
we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God 
hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, 
we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with 
whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid 
that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the 
cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, 
get you up in peace unto your father. 

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my 
Lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in 
my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against 
thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord 



60 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a 
brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a 
father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a 
little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is 
left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And 
thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto 
me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said 
unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for 
if he should leave his father, his father would die. 
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your 
youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see 
my face no more. And it came to pass when we 
came up unto thy servant my father, we told him 
the words of my lord. And our father said, Go 
again, and buy us a little food. And we said, We 
cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, 
then will we go down: for we may not see the man's 
face, except our youngest brother be with us. And 
thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that 
my wife bare me two sons: and the one went out 
from me, and I said, surely he is torn in pieces; and 
I saw him not since: and if ye take this also from me, 
and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray 
hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore 
when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad 
be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in 
the lad's life; it shall come to pass, when he seeth 
that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and 
thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy 
servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For 
thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, 
saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall 
bear the blame to my father for ever. Now there- 
fore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the 
lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up 
with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my 
father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure 
I see the evil that shall come on my father. 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 61 



(S) The Reconciliation. 

Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all 
them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every 
man to go out from me. And there stood no man 
with him, while Joseph made himself known unto 
his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians 
and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said 
unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet 
live? And his brethren could not answer him; for 
they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said 
unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And 
they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your 
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore 
be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye 
sold me hither: for God did send me before you to 
preserve life. For these two years hath the famine 
been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the 
which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And 
God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity 
in the earth, and to save your lives by a great de- 
liverance. So now it was not you that sent me 
hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to 
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler 
throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and 
go up to my father, and tell my father of all my 
glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye 
shall haste and bring down my father hither. 

And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and 
wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover 
he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and 
after that his brethren talked with him. 

And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, 
saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased 
Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said 
unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade 
your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 



62 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

and take your father and your households, and come 
unto me: and I will give you the good of the land 
of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now 
thou art commanded, this do ye; take your wagons 
out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and 
for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 
Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the 
land of Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel 
did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to 
the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them pro- 
vision for the way. To all of them he gave each 
man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave 
three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of 
raiment. And to his father he sent after this man- 
ner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, 
and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and 
meat for his father by the way. 

And his brethren went up out of Egypt, and came 
into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and 
told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is gov- 
ernor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart 
fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him 
all the words of Joseph, which he said unto them: 
and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent 
to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 
And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet 
alive: I will go and see him before I die. 



7. Jacob in Egypt. 

And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons 
of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little 
ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh 
had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle, 
and their goods, which they had gotten in the land 
of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his 
seed with him : his sons, and his sons' sons with him, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 63 

his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his 
seed brought he with him into Egypt. 

And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to 
direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the 
land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready his chariot, 
and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, 
and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his 
neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel 
said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen 
thy face, because thou art yet alive. 

Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My 
father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their 
herds, and all that they have, are come out of the 
land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of 
Goshen. And he took some of his brethren, even five 
men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh 
said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? 
And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shep- 
herds, both we, and also our fathers. They said 
moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land 
are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for 
their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of 
Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants 
dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spake 
unto Joseph saying, Thy father and thy brethren are 
come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee; 
in the best of the land make thy father and brethren 
to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and 
if thou knowest any men of activity among them, 
then make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph 
brought in Jacob his father, and set him before 
Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh 
said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob 
said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my 
pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and 
evil have the days of the years of my life been, and 
have not attained unto the days of the years of the 
life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 



64 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from be- 
fore Pharaoh. 



8. The Continuation of the Famine. 

And there was no bread in all the land; for the 
famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt 
and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the 
famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that 
was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of 
Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph 
brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when 
money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land 
of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and 
said, Give us bread : for why should we die in thy 
presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, 
Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, 
if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto 
Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for 
horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the 
herds, and for the asses; and he fed them with bread 
for all their cattle for that year. When that year 
was ended, they came unto him the second year, and 
said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, 
how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our 
herds of cattle; there is not aught left in the sight 
of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: wherefore 
shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our 
land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and 
our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us 
seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be 
not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of 
Egypt for Pharaoh ; for the Egyptians sold every man 
his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so 
the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, 
he removed them to cities from one end of the bor- 
ders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 65 

the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests 
had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat 
their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore 
they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto 
the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and 
your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and 
ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in 
the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto 
Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed 
of the field, and for your food, and for them of your 
households, and for food for your little ones. And they 
said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in 
the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's ser- 
vants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of 
Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the 
fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which 
became not Pharaoh's. 



9. The Death of Jacob. 

And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and 
he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now 
I have found grace in thy sight, bury me not, I pray 
thee, in Egypt: but I will lie with my fathers, and 
thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in 
their burying place. And he said, I will do as thou 
hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he 
sware unto him. 

And it came to pass after these things, that one told 
Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with 
him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one 
told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh 
unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat 
upon the bed. And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and 
said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his 
father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me 
in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, 



66 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of 
Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. 
And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed 
them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto 
Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, 
God hath shewed me also thy seed. And Joseph 
brought them out from between his knees, and he 
bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph 
took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward 
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand 
toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near 
unto him. 

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid 
it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and 
his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands 
wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he 
blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my 
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which 
fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which 
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads ; and let 
my name be named on them, and the name of my 
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into 
a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when 
Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon 
the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held 
up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's 
head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto 
his father, Not so, my father: for this is the first- 
born; put thy right hand upon his head. And his 
father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know 
it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall 
be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater 
than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of 
nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In 
thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as 
Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim be- 
fore Manasseh. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, 
1 die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 67 

unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given 
to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took 
out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and 
with my bow. 

And Jacob called unto his sons, and blessed them; 
every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 
And he charged them, and said unto them, I 
am to be gathered unto my people: bury me 
with my fathers in the cave that is in the field 
of Ephraim the Hittite; in the cave that is in 
the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, 
in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with 
the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a 
burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah 
his wife: there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his 
wife; and there I buried Leah. The purchase of the 
field and of the cave that is therein was from the 
children of Heth. 

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding 
his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and 
yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. 
And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept 
upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded 
his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and 
the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were 
fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of 
those which are embalmed : and the Egyptians mourned 
for him three score and ten days. And when the 
days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto 
the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found 
grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of 
Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, 
Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me 
in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. 
Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury 
my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh 
said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he 
made thee swear. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 69 

III. THE EXODUS AND THE 
WILDERNESS. 



A. THE RAISING OF A DELIVERER. 

1. The Oppression of the Israelites. 

And the children of Israel were fruitful, and in- 
creased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed ex- 
ceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which 
knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Be- 
hold, the people of the children of Israel are more 
and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely 
with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, 
that, when there falleth out any war, they join also 
unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get 
them up out of the land. Therefore they did set 
over them taskmasters to afflict them with their 
burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, 
Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted 
them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they 
were grieved because of the children of Israel. And 
they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in 
mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service 
in the field: all their service, wherein they made them 
serve, was with rigour. And Pharaoh charged all 
his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall 
cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save 
alive. 

2. The Birth and Youth of Moses. 

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and 
took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman 



70 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him 
that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 
And when she could not longer hide him, she took 
for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with 
slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and 
she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And 
his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done 
to him. 

And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash 
herself at the river; and her maidens walked along 
by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among 
the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when 
she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, 
the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and 
said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then 
said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and 
call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she 
may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daugh- 
ter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called 
the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said 
unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, 
and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took 
the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and 
she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he 
became her son. And she called his name Moses: 
and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. 



3. Moses' Flight to Midian. 

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses 
was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and 
looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian 
smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he 
looked this way and that way, and when he saw 
that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and 
hid him in the sand. And when he went out the 
second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 71 

together: and he said to him that did the wrong, 
Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who 
made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest 
thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And 
Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. 

Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought 
to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of 
Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he 
sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had 
seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and 
filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And 
the shepherds came and drove them away: hut Moses 
stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 
And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, 
How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And 
they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand 
of the shepherds, and also drew water enough fo£ us, 
and watered the flock. And he said unto his daugh- 
ters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left 
the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. And 
Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he 
gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 



4. The Call of Moses at Mt. Horeb. 

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father 
in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock 
to the back side of the desert, and came to the 
mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the Angel of 
the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out 
of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, 
the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not 
consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, 
and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 
And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, 
God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, 
and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am i. 



72 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes 
from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest 
is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God 
of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of 
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his 
face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction 
of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their 
cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their 
sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out 
of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up 
out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a 
land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place 
of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, 
and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto 
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the 
children of Israel out of Egypt. 

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they 
will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for 
they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. 
And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine 
hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it 
on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it 
became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 
And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, 
and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, 
and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. 

And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now 
thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into 
his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand 
was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand 
into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his 
bosom again ; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, 
behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. 

And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am 
not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast 
spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 73 

and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, 
Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the 
dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not 
I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with 
thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And 
he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand 
of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the 
Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not 
Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can 
speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to 
meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad 
in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and 
put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, 
and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall 
do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: 
and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a 
mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And 
thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou 
shalt do signs. 

5. The First Step Towards Deliverance. 

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together 
all the elders of the children of Israel: and Aaron 
spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto 
Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 
And the people believed: and they bowed their heads 
and worshipped. 

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told 
Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my 
people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the 
wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, 
that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I 
know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. 
Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people 
from their works? get you unto your burdens. And 
Pharaoh said, Behold the people of the land now 
are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. 



74 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And Pharaoh commanded the same day the task- 
masters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye 
shall no more give the people straw to make brick, 
as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for them- 
selves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did 
make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall 
not diminish aught thereof: for they be idle; there- 
fore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our 
God. Let there more work be laid upon the men, 
that they may labour therein; and let them not regard 
vain words. 

And the taskmasters of the people went out, and 
their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, 
Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go 
ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught 
of your work shall be diminished. So the people were 
scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt 
to gather stubble instead of straw. And the task- 
masters hasted them, saying. Fulfil your works, your 
daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers 
of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmas- 
ters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, 
Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making 
brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore. 

Then the officers of the children of Israel came 
and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest 
thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw 
given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make 
brick: and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the 
fault is in thine own people But he said, Ye are 
idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do 
sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now, and work ; 
for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye 
deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the 
children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, 
after it was said, Ye shall not minish aught from 
your bricks of your daily task. 

And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 75 

way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: and they 
said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; 
because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in 
the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, 
to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses 
returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore 
hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that 
thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh 
to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; 
neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. And 
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto 
Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of 
Israel go out of his land. 

And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and 
they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron 
cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his 
servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh 
also called the wise men and the sorcerers : now the 
magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with 
their enchantments. For they cast down every man his 
rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod 
swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh's 
heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord 
had said. 

B. THE TEN PLAGUES AND THE EXODUS. 

1. The Plagues. 

(i) The Water Turned to Blood. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee unto 
Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he gets out unto the water; 
and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he 
come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent 
shalt thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say 
unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath sent 
me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they 



76 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto 
thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the Lord, In 
this thou shalt know that I am the Lord: behold, 
I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon 
the waters which are in the river, and they shall be 
turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river 
shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians 
shall loathe to drink of the water of the river. 

And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord com- 
manded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the 
waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, 
and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters 
that were in the river were turned to blood. And 
the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, 
and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the 
river; and there was blood throughout all the land 
of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with 
their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hard- 
ened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord 
had said. And all the Egyptians digged round about 
the river for water to drink; for they could not drink 
of the water of the river. And seven days were ful- 
filled, after that the Lord had smitten the river. 



(2) The Frogs. 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, 
Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, 
over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs 
to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron 
stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and 
the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. 
And the magicians did so with their enchantments, 
and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. 

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and 
said, Entreat the Lord, that he may take away the 
frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 77 

the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the 
Lord. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh: 
and Moses cried unto the Lord because of the frogs 
which he had brought against Pharaoh. And the Lord 
did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs 
died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out 
of the fields. And they gathered them together upon 
heaps; and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw 
that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and 
hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said. 



(3) The Lice. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, 
Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, 
that it may become lice throughout all the land of 
Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his 
hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, 
and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust 
of the land became lice throughout all the land of 
Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchant- 
ments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there 
were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the ma- 
gicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: 
and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened 
not unto them; as the Lord had said. 



(4) The Flies. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in 
the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh 
forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith 
the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. 
Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will 
send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, 
and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the 



78 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of 
flies, and also the ground whereon they are. And I 
will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which 
my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be 
there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the 
Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a 
division between my people and thy people: to morrow 
shall this sign be. And the Lord did so; and there 
came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of 
Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all 
the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason 
of the swarm of flies. 

And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and 
said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And 
Moses said, We will go three days' journey into the 
wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he 
shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you 
go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in 
the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: 
entreat for me. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, 
and entreated the Lord. And the Lord did according 
to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarm 
of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from 
his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh 
hardened his heart at this time also, neither would 
he let the people go. 



(5) The Murrain. 

Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto 
Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of 
the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve 
me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold 
them still, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy 
cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the 
asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the 
sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. And 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 79 

the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and 
the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of 
all that is the children's of Israel. And the Lord 
appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the Lord 
shall do this thing in the land. And the Lord did 
that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt 
died: but the cattle of the children of Israel died not 
one. And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not 
one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart 
of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the 
people go. 

(6) The Boils. 

And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, 
Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and 
let Moses. sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight 
of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all 
the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth 
with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout 
all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the 
furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses 
sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil 
breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. 
And the magicians could not stand before Moses be- 
cause of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, 
and upon all the Egyptians. And the Lord hardened 
the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them ; 
as the Lord had spoken unto Moses. 



(7) The Hail. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine 
hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all 
the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and 
upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of 
Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward 



80 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the 
fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained 
hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and 
fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as 
there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since 
it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout 
all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both 
man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the 
field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the 
land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, 
was there no hail. 

And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, 
and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the 
Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 
Entreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be 
no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let 
you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses 
went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad 
his hands unto the Lord: and the thunders and hail 
ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail 
and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, 
and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the 
heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let 
the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken 
by Moses. 

(8) The Locusts. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that 
they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat 
every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath 
left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the 
land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind 
upon the land all that day, and all that night; and 
when it was morning, the east wind brought the 
locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 81 

of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very 
grievous were they; before them there were no such 
locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For 
they covered the face of the whole earth, so that 
the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb 
of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the 
hail had left: and there remained not any green thing 
in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all 
the land of Egypt. 

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; 
and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, 
and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, 
my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your 
God, that he may take away from me this death 
only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated 
the Lord. And the Lord turned a mighty strong 
west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast 
them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust 
in all the coasts of Egypt. But the Lord hardened 
Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children 
of Israel go. 
I 

(g) The Darkness. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over 
the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 
And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; 
and there was a thick darkness in all the land of 
Egypt three days: they saw not one another, neither 
rose any from his place for three days: but all the 
children of Israel had light in their dwellings. 

And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, 
serve the Loid; only let your flocks and your herds be 
stayed: let your little ones also go with you. And 
Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and 
burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord 
our God. Our cattle also shall go with us; there 



82 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

shall not a hoof be left behind; for thereof must we 
take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not 
with what we must serve the Lord, until we come 
thither. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and 
he would not let them go. 



(10) The Death of the Firstborn, 

And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, 
take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in 
that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. And 
Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy 
face again no more. Thus saith the Lord, About 
midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: 
and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, 
from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his 
throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant 
that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of 
beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout 
all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like 
it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any 
of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his 
tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know 
how that the Lord doth put a difference between the 
Egyptians and Israel. 

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, 
and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb 
according to your families, and kill the passover. And 
ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the 
blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and 
the two side posts with the blood that is in the 
basin: and none of you shall go out at the door of 
his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass 
through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth 
the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, 
the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer 
the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 83 

you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance 
to thee and to thy sons for ever. And the children 
of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had com- 
manded Moses and Aaron, so did they. 

And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord 
smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from 
the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto 
the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; 
and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose 
up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the 
Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt: for 
there was not a house where there was not one dead. 

And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and 
said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my 
people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go 
serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your 
flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; 
and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent 
upon the people, that they might send them out of 
the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead 
men. And the people took their dough before it was 
leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in 
their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children 
of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and 
they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, 
jewels of gold, and raiment: and the Lord gave the 
people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that 
they lent unto them such things as they required: 
and they spoiled the Egyptians. 



2. The Destruction of the Egyptians. 

And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses 
to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that 
were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude 
went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even 
very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes 



84 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, 
for it was not leavened ; because they were thrust 
out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they 
prepared for themselves any victuals. 

And they took their journey from Succoth, and 
encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar 
of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in 
a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and 
night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud 
by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before 
the people. 

And it was told the king of Egypt that the people 
fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants 
was turned against the people, and they said, Why 
have we done this, that we have let Israel go from 
serving us? And he made ready his chariot, and took 
his people with him: and he took six hundred chosen 
chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains 
over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the 
heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after 
the children of Israel, and overtook them encamp- 
ing by the sea. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, 
the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, be- 
hold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they 
were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out 
unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because 
there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us 
away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou 
dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is 
not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, say- 
ing, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? 
For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, 
than that we should die in the wilderness. 

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, 
stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which 
he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom 
ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 85 

for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall 
hold your peace. 

And the Angel of God, which went before the 
camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and 
the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, 
and stood behind them: and it came between the 
camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and 
it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave 
light by night to these: so that the one came not 
near the other all the night. And Moses stretched 
out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the 
sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, 
and made the sea dry land, and the waters were 
divided. And the children of Israel went into the 
midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters 
were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on 
their left. 

And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them 
to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his 
chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that 
in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host 
of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of 
the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and 
took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them 
heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from 
the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them 
against the Egyptians. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
hand over the sea, that the waters may come again 
upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon 
their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand 
over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength 
when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled 
against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in 
the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and 
covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the 
host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; 
there remained not so much as one of them. But the 



86 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst 
of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them 
on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord 
saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; 
and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this 
song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing 
unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the 
horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The 
Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my 
salvation; he is my God, and I will prepare him a 
habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. 
The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. 
Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into 
the sea. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the 
gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful 
in praises, doing wonders? 

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, 
took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went 
out after her with timbrels and with dances. And 
Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he 
hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider 
hath he thrown into the sea. 



3. The Journey to Sinai. 

So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they 
went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went 
three days in the wilderness, and found no water. And 
when they came to Marah, they could not drink of 
the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: and the 
people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall 
we drink? And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord 
shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the 
waters, the waters were made sweet: there he 
made for them a statute, and an ordinance, and there 
he proved them, and said, If thou wilt diligently 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 87 

hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt 
do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear 
to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will 
put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have 
brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that 
healeth thee. 

And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells 
of water, and three-score and ten palm trees: and 
they encamped there by the waters. And they took 
their journey from Elim, and came unto the wilder- 
ness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. 



C. AT SINAI. 

1. The Giving of the Ten Commandments. 

In the third month, when the children of Israel 
were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same 
day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. And the 
Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanc- 
tify them to day and to morrow, arid be ready against 
the third day: for the third day the Lord will come 
down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. 
And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round 
about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not 
up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whoso- 
ever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 
there shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely 
be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or 
man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth 
long, they shall come up to the mount. And it came 
to pass on the third day in the morning, that there 
were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon 
the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding 
loud; so that all the people that was in the camp 
trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out 
of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at 



88 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was 
altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended 
upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as 
the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked 
greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded 
long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and 
God answered him by a voice. And God spake all 
these words, saying, 

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee 
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, 
or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 
under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself 
to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God 
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children unto the third and fourth genera- 
tion of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto 
thousands of them that love me, and keep my com- 
mandments. 

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
that taketh his name in vain. 

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the 
seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in 
it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, 
nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidser- 
vant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within 
thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven 
and eaith, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested 
the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the 
sabbath day, and hallowed it. 

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days 
may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God 
giveth thee. 

Thou shalt not kill. 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 89 

Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

Thou shalt not steal. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbour. 

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man- 
servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, 
nor anything that is thy neighbour's. 



2. The Golden Calf. 

And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and 
Moses went up into the mount of God, and a cloud 
covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode 
upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: 
and the seventh day he called unto Moses -out of 
the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory 
of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the 
mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And 
Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him 
up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty 
days and forty nights. 

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to 
come down out of the mount, the people gathered 
themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, 
Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as 
for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of 
the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of 
him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the 
golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, 
of your sens, and of your daughters, and bring them 
unto me. And all the people brake off the golden 
earrings which were in their ears, and brought them 
unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, 
and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had 
made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy 
gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the 



90 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built 
an altar before ft; and Aaron made proclamation, 
and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. And 
they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt 
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people 
sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; 
for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land 
of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. And Moses 
turned, and went down from the mount, and the two 
tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables 
were written on both their sides ; on the one side and on 
the other were they written. And the tables were the 
work of God, and the writing was the writing of 
God, graven upon the tables. And when Joshua 
heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said 
unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 
And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout 
for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry 
for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing 
do I hear. 

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto 
the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: 
and Moses* anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables 
out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 
And he took the calf which they had made and burnt 
it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed 
it upon the water, and made the children of Israel 
drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron, What 
did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so 
great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not 
the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the 
people, that they are set on mischief. For they said 
unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for 
as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of 
the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of 
him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any 
gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 91 

then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this 
calf. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, 
and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come 
unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered them- 
selves together unto him. And he said unto them, 
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man 
his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate 
to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man 
his brother, and every man his companion, and every 
man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did 
according to the word of Moses: and there fell of 
the people that day about three thousand men. 

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses 
said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: 
and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure 
I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses 
returned unto the Lord. And he was there with the 
Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat 
bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the 
tables the words of the covenant, the ten command- 
ments. 

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from 
mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in 
Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, 
that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone 
while he talked with him. And when Aaron and 
all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin 
of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh 
him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and 
all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: 
and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the 
children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in 
commandment all that the Lord had spoken with 
him in mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speak- 
ing with them, he put a vail on his face. 



92 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



3. The Dedication of the Tabernacle. 

And it came to pass in the first month in the second 
year, on the first day of the month, that the taber- 
nacle was reared up. And Moses reared up the 
tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the 
boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and 
reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent 
over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent 
above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses. And 
he took and put the testimony into the ark, and s«t 
staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon 
the ark: and he brought the ark into the tabernacle, 
and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the 
ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses. 
And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, 
upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without 
the vail. And he set the bread in order upon it 
before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. 
And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congre- 
gation, over against the table, on the side of the 
tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps 
before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses. 
And he put the golden altar in the tent of the con- 
gregation before the vail: and he burnt sweet incense 
thereon; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he 
set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle. 
And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door 
of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, 
and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat 
offering; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he 
set the laver between the tent of the congregation and 
the altar, and put water there, to wash withal. And 
Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands 
and their feet thereat: when they went into the tent 
of the congregation, and when they came near unto the 
altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 93 

And he reared up the court round about the taber- 
nacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the 
court gate. So Moses finished the work. 

Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, 
and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And 
Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the 
congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and 
the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And 
when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, 
the children of Israel went onward in all their 
journeys: but if the cloud were not taken up, then 
they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 
For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle 
by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of 
all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. 



4. Jethro's Counsel to Moses. 

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses 
sat to judge the people: and the people stood by 
Moses from the morning until the evening. And 
when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to 
the people, he said, What is this thing that thou 
doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, 
and all the people stand by thee from morning unto 
even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Be- 
cause the people come unto me to inquire of God: 
when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I 
judge between one and another, and I do make them 
know the statutes of God, and his laws. 

And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing 
that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear 
away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: 
for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou are not 
able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto 
my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be 
with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that 



I 



94 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

thou mayest bring the causes unto God : and thou 
shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew 
them the way wherein they must walk, and the work 
that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out 
of all the people able men, such as fear God, men 
of truth, hating covetousness ; and place such over 
them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hun- 
dreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: and let 
them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, 
that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, 
but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it 
be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden 
with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God 
command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, 
and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. 
So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in 
law, and did all that he had said. And Moses chose 
able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over 
the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, 
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged 
the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought 
unto Moses, but every small matter they judged 
themselves. 

5. Miriam's Leprosy. 

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses be- 
cause of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: 
for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they 
said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? 
hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard 
it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all 
the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And 
the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, 
and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the taber- 
nacle of the congregation. And they three came out. 
And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, 
and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 95 

Aaion and Miriam: and they both came forth. And 
he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet 
among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto 
him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 
My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all 
mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, 
even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the 
similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore 
then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant 
Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled 
against them; and he departed. And the cloud de- 
parted from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam 
became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron, looked 
upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And 
Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, 
lay not the sin upon us wherein we have done fool- 
ishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as 
one dead. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, 
Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord 
said unto Moses, Let her be shut out from the camp 
seven days, and after that let her be received in again. 
And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days : 
and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought 
in again. 

D. THE FORTY YEARS' WANDERING. 

1. The Quails and the Manna. 

And they departed from the mount of the Lord 
three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of 
the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, 
to search out a resting place for them. And the 
cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they 
went out of the camp. And it came to pass, when the 
ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, 
and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that 
hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he 



96 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of 
Israel. 

And the children of Israel said unto Moses and 
Aaron, Would to God we had died by the hand of 
the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the 
flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; 
for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to 
kill this whole assembly with hunger. 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have 
heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak 
unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and 
in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye 
shall know that I am the Lord your God. And it 
came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and 
covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay 
round about the host. And when the dew that lay 
was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness 
there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar 
frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel 
saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for 
they wist not what it was. 

And Moses said unto them, This is the bread 
which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the 
thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of 
it every man according to his eating, an omer for 
every man, according to the number of your persons; 
take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some 
more, some less. And when they did mete it with 
an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, 
and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered 
every man according to his eating. And Moses said, 
Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwith- 
standing they hearkened not unto Moses ; but some of 
them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, 
and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And 
they gathered it every morning, every man according 
to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 97 

And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they 
gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one 
man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and 
told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that 
which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest 
of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which 
ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe ; 
and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be 
kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the 
morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither 
was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat 
that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: 
to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye 
shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the 
sabbath, in it there shall be none. 



2. The Disobedience of Moses. 

And there was no water for the congregation: and 
they gathered themselves together against Moses and 
against Aaron. And the people chode with Moses, 
and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when 
our brethren died before the Lord! And wherefore 
have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring 
us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or 
of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is 
there any water to drink. And Moses and Aaron 
went from the presence of the assembly unto the door 
of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell 
upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared 
unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, 
thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the 
rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his 
water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out 
of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and 
their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from 



98 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses 
and Aaron gathered the congregation together before 
the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; 
must we fetch you water out of this rock? And 
Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote 
the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, 
and the congregation drank, and the beasts also. 



3. The Fight with Amalek. 

Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in 
Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us 
out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow 
I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of 
God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had 
said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, 
Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And 
it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that 
Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, 
Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; 
and thy took a stone, and put it under him, and he 
sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, 
the one on the one side, and the other on the other 
side; and his hands were steady until the going down 
of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his 
people with the edge of the sword. 



4. The Sending of the Spies. 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou 
men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which 
I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of 
their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler 
among them. 

And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, 
and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 99 

and go up into the mountain: and see the land, what 
it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether 
they be strong or weak, few or many; and what the 
land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; 
and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether 
in tents, or in strong holds; and what the land is, 
whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood 
therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring 
of the fruit of the land. 

So they went up, and searched the land from the 
wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to 
Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came 
unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, 
the children of Anak, were. And they came unto the 
brook of Eschol, and cut down from thence a branch 
with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between 
two upon a staff; and they brought of the pome- 
granates, and of the figs. The place was called the 
brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which 
the children of Israel cut down from thence. And 
they returned from searching of the land after forty 
days. 

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, 
and brought back word unto them, and unto all the 
congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 
And they told him, and said, We came unto the land 
whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with 
milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Never- 
theless the people be strong that dwell in the land, 
and the cities are walled, and very great: and more- 
over we saw the children of Anak there. The Amale- 
kites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, 
and the Jebusites, and the Amo rites, dwell in the 
mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and 
by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people 
before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and 
possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But 
the men that went up with him said, We be not able 



100 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

to go up against the people; for they are stronger 
than we. And they brought up an evil report of the 
land which they had searched unto the children of 
Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone 
to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants 
thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men 
of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the 
sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were 
in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in 
their sight. 

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and 
cried; and the people wept that night. And all the 
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against 
Aaron: and said unto them, Would God that we had 
died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had 
died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the Lord 
brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that 
our wives and our children should be a prey? were 
it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they 
said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let 
us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell 
on their faces before all the assembly of the congre- 
gation of the children of Israel. 

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son 
of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the 
land, rent their clothes: and they spake unto all the 
company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, 
which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding 
good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will 
bring us in to this land, and give it us; a land which 
floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye 
against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the 
land; for they are bread for us: their defence is de- 
parted from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them 
not. But all the congregation bade stone them with 
stones. 

And the glory of the Lord appeared in the taber- 
nacle of the congregation before all the children of 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 101 

Israel. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto 
Aaron, saying, 1 have heard the murmurings of the 
children of Israel. Say unto them, As truly as I live, 
saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will 
I do to you: your carcasses shall fall in this wilder- 
ness, and all that were numbered of you, according 
to your whole number, from twenty years old and 
upward, which have murmured against me, save Caleb 
the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 
But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, 
them will I bring in, and they shall know the land 
which ye have despised. But as for you, your car- 
casses, they shall fall in this wilderness. After the 
number of the days in which ye searched the land, 
even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear 
your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know 
my breach of promise. I the Lord have said, I will 
surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are 
gathered together against me: in this wilderness they 
shall be consumed, and there they shall die. 



5. Uprisings Against Moses. 

( i) The Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram. 

Dathan and Abiram, took men: and they rose up 
before Moses. And Moses sent to call Dathan and 
Abiram, which said, We will not come up: is it a 
small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a 
land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in 
the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a 
prince over us? Moreover, thou hast not brought us 
into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given 
us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put 
out the eyes of these men? we will not come up. And 
Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect 
not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from 



102 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

them, neither have I hurt one of them. And Moses 
rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the 
elders of Israel followed him. And he spake unto the 
congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the 
tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, 
lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up 
from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, on 
every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and 
stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and 
their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, 
Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to 
do all these works; for I have not done them of mine 
own mind. If these men die the common death of all 
men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all 
men; then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the 
Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, 
and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto 
them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye 
shall understand that these men have provoked the 
Lord. 

And it came to pass, as he had made an end 
of speaking all these words, that the ground clave 
asunder that was under them; and the earth opened 
her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, 
they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive 
into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and 
they perished from among the congregation. And all 
Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of 
them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up a'so. 



(2) Korah's Punishment. 

Now Korah with certain of the children of Israel, 
two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, gath- 
ered themselves together against Moses and against 
Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon 
you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 103 

them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then 
lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the 
Lord? And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his 
face: and he spake unto Korah and unto all his 
company, saying, Even to morrow the Lord will shew 
who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to 
come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen 
will he cause to come near unto him. This do: Take 
you censers, Korah, and all his company; and pit 
fire therein, and put incense in them before the Lord 
to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the 
Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too 
much upon you, ye sons of Levi. And Korah gath- 
ered all the congregation against them unto the door 
of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory 
of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation. And 
the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
separate yourselves from among this congregation, 
that I may consume them in a moment. And they 
fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of 
the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt 
thou be wroth with all the congregation? And the 
Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the con- 
gregation, saying, Get you up from about the taber- 
nacle. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and 
consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered 



(3) The Plague and the Budding of Aaron s Rod. 

But on the morrow all the congregation of the 
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against 
Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord. 
And it came to pass, when the congregation was 
gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they 
looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: 
and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of 
the Lord appeared. And the Lord spake unto Moses, 



104 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



saying, Get you up from among this congregation, 
that I may consume them as in a moment. And they 
fell upon their faces. And Moses said unto Aaron, 
Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, 
and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congre- 
gation, and make an atonement for them: for there is 
wrath gone out from the Lord ; the plague is begun. 
And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into 
the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague 
was begun among the people: and he put on incense, 
and made an atonement for the people. And he stood 
between the dead and the living; and the plague was 
stayed. Now they that died in the plague were four- 
teen thousand and seven hundred, besides them that 
died about the matter of Korah. And Aaron returned 
unto Moses, unto the door of the tabernacle of the 
congregation: and the plague was stayed. 

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto 
the children of Israel, and take of every one of them 
a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all 
their princes according to the house of their fathers, 
twelve rods : write thou every man's name upon his 
rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the 
rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of 
the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them 
up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the 
testimony, where I will meet with you. And it shall 
come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, 
shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me 
the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby 
they murmur against you. And Moses spake unto 
the children of Israel, and every one of their princes 
gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according 
to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the 
rod of Aaron was among their rods. And Moses 
laid up the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle 
of witness. And it came to pass, that on the morrow 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 105 

Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, be- 
hold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi budded, 
and brought forth buds, bloomed blossoms, and yielded 
almonds. And Moses brought out all the rods from 
before the Lord unto all the children of Israel: and 
they looked, and took every man his rod. And the 
Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again be- 
fore the testimony, to be kept for a token against 
the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their 
murmurings from me, that they die not. 



6. The Death of Aaron. 

And the children of Israel, even the whole congre- 
gation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount 
Hor. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron 
in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, 
saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for 
he shall not enter into the land which I have given 
unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against 
my word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron 
and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount 
Hor: and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them 
upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered 
unto his people, and shall die there. And Moses did 
as the Lord commanded: and they went up into mount 
Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses 
stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon 
Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of 
the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from 
the mount. And when all the congregation saw that 
Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, 
even all the house of Israel. 



106 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



7. The Fiery Serpent. 

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way 
of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and 
the soul of the people was much discouraged because 
of the way. And the people spake against God, and 
against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up 
out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is 
no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul 
loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery 
serpents among the people, and they bit the people ; 
and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people 
came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we 
have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray 
unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from 
us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the 
Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, 
and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, 
that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, 
shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and 
put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, that if a 
serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the ser- 
pent of brass, he lived. 



8. Balaam and Balak. 

(i) The Summons. 

And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moab- 
ites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto 
Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the 
river of the land of the children of his people, to 
call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out 
from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, 
and they abide over against me: come now therefore, 
I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 107 

mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we 
may smite them, and that I may drive them out of 
the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is 
blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. And 
the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed 
with the rewards of divination in their hand; and 
they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the 
words of Balak. And he said unto them, Lodge here 
this night, and I will bring you word again, as the 
Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab 
abode with Balaam. 

And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men 
are these with thee? And Balaam said unto God, 
Balak the son of Zipper, king of Moab, hath sent 
unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out 
of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come 
now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able 
to overcome them, and drive them out. And God 
said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou 
shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. And 
Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the 
princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the 
Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. And 
the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto 
Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 

And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more 
honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, 
and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, 
Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming 
unto me: for I will promote thee unto very great 
honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto 
me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants 
of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of 
silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the 
Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, 
I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may 
know what the Lord will say unto me more. And 



108 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, 
If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with 
them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, 
that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the 
morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the 
princes of Moab. 

(2) The Journey. 

And God's anger was kindled because he went: 
and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an 
adversary against him. Now he was riding upon 
his ass, and his two servants were with him. And 
the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the 
way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass 
turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: 
and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the 
vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on 
that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the 
Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed 
Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her 
again. And the angel of the Lord went further, 
and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to 
turn either to the right hand or to the left. And 
when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell 
down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was 
kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And 
the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said 
unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou 
hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam 
said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I 
would there were a sword in mine hand, for now 
would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, 
Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden 
ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever 
wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then 
the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 109 

angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword 
drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, 
and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord 
said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass 
these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand 
thee, because thy way is perverse before me: and the 
ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: 
unless she had turned from me, surely now also I 
had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam 
said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for 
I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against 
me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get 
me back again. And the angel of the Lord said unto 
Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that 
I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So 
Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 



(3) The Three Blessings. 

And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven 
altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven 
rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and 
Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock 
and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand 
by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the 
Lord will come to meet me; and whatsoever he 
sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to a high 
place. And God met Balaam: and the Lord put a 
word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, 
and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto 
him, and, lo. he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and 
all the princes of Moab. 

And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the 
king of Moab hath brought me out of the mountains 
of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, 
defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not 
cursed? For from the top of the rocks I see him, 



110 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall 
dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the 
nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the 
number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die 
the death of the righteous, and let my last end be 
like his! 

And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done 
unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, 
behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he 
answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak 
that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? And 
Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me 
unto another place, from whence thou mayest see 
them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, 
and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from 
thence. And he brought him into the field of Zop- 
him, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and 
offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. And 
he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, 
while I meet the Lord yonder. And the Lord met 
Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go 
again unto Balak, and say thus. And when he came 
to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and 
the princes of Moab with him. 

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, 
Balak, and hear: God is not a man, that he should 
lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; 
hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he 
spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I 
have received commandment to bless: and he hath 
blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld 
iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness 
in Israel : the Lord his God is with him, and the 
shout of a king is among them. God brought them 
out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a 
unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against 
Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: 
according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. Ill 

of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the 
people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up him- 
self as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he 
eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 

And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them 
at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered 
and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All 
that the Lord speaketh, that I must do? 

And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I 
will bring thee unto another place ; peradventure it will 
please God that thou mayest curse me them from 
thence. And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of 
Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon. And Balaam said 
unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare 
me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak 
did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and 
a ram on every altar. 

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord 
to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to 
seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward 
the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and 
he saw Israel abiding in his tents; and the Spirit 
of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, 
and said, Balaam the man whose eyes are open hath 
said: he hath said, which heard the words of God, 
which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into 
a trance, but having his eyes open: how goodly are 
thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 
As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by 
the river's side, as the trees of lign-aloes which the 
Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the 
waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, 
and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king 
shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be 
exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he 
hath as it were the strength of a unicorn: he shall 
eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their 
bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He 



112 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: 
who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, 
and cursed is he that curseth thee. 

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, 
and he smote his hands together: and Balak said 
unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, 
and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these 
three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: 
I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, 
lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour. And 
Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy 
messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If 
Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, 
I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, 
to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but 
what the Lord saith, that will I speak? And Balaam 
rose up, and went and returned to his place: and 
Balak also went his way. 

9. The Inheritance of the Two and a 
Half Tribes. 

Now the children of Reuben and the children of 
Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when 
they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, 
that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; the 
children of Gad and the children of Reuben came 
and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, 
and unto the princes of the congregation, saying. The 
country which the Lord smote before the congregation 
of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have 
cattle: wherefore, if we have found grace in thy 
sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a 
possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 

And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to 
the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to 
war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discour- 
age ye the heart of the children of Israel from going 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 113 

over into the land which the Lord hath given them? 
Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh- 
barnea to see the land. For when they went up unto 
the valley of Eschol, and saw the land, they dis- 
couraged the heart of the children of Israel, that 
they should not go into the land which the Lord 
had given them. And the Lord's anger was kindled 
against Israel, and he made them wander in the wil- 
derness forty years, until all the generation, that had 
done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. 
And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, 
an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce 
anger of the Lord toward Israel. For if ye turn 
away from after him, he will yet again leave them 
in the wilderness; and ye shall destroy all his people. 

And they came near unto him, and said, We will 
build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for 
our little ones: but we ourselves will go ready armed 
before the children of Israel, until we have brought 
them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell 
in the fenced cities, because of the inhabitants of the 
land. We will not return unto our houses, until 
the children of Israel have inherited every man his 
inheritance: for we w r ill not inherit w 7 ith them on 
yonder side Jordan, or forward ; because our inherit- 
ance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward. 

And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this 
thing, if ye will go all of you armed over Jordan 
before the Lord, until he hath driven out his enemies 
from before him, and the land be subdued before the 
Lord: then afterward ye shall return, and be guilt- 
less before the Lord, and before Israel; and this land 
shall be your possession before the Lord. But if ye 
will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the 
Lord : and be sure your sin will find you out. Build 
you cities for your little ones, and folds for your 
sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of 
vour mouth. 



114 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben 
spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as 
my lord commandeth. And Moses gave unto them, 
even to the children of Gad, and to the children of 
Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manasseh the son 
of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, 
and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan. 



10. The Death of Moses. 



And the Lord spake unto Moses that selfsame day, 
saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto 
mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is 
over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, 
which I give unto the children of Israel for a posses- 
sion: and die in the mount whither thou goest up, 
and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother 
died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people: 
because ye trespassed against me among the children 
of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the 
wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in 
the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt 
see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go 
thither unto the land which I give the children of 
Israel. 

And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto 
the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is 
over against Jericho: and the Lord shewed him all 
the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and 
the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land 
of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and 
the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm 
trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This 
is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, 
and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: 
I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou 
shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 115 

the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according 
to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a 
valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: 
but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 
And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old 
when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural 
force abated. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 117 



IV. THE INVASION OF CANAAN 
UNDER JOSHUA. 



1. The Call of Joshua. 

Now after the death of Moses the servant of the 
Lord, it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua 
the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my 
servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this 
Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which 
I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread 
upon, that have I given unto )^ou, as I said unto Moses. 
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the 
great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the 
Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going 
down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall 
not any man be able to stand before thee all the days 
of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with 
thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong 
and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou 
divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware 
unto their fathers to give them; be not afraid, neither 
be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee 
whithersoever thou goest. 



2. A Line of Scarlet Thread. 

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim 
two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, 
even Jericho. And they went, and came into a har- 
lot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Be- 
hold, there came men in hither to night of the children 
of Israel to search out the country. And the king 
of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the 
men that are come to thee, which are entered into 
thine house: for they be come to search out all the 
country. And the woman took the two men, and hid 
them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but 
I wist not whence they were: and it came to pass 
about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was 
dark, that the men went out; whither the men went, 
I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall 
overtake them. ' But she had brought them up to the 
roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of 
flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. And 
the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto 
the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after 
them were gone out, they shut the gate. 

And before they were laid down, she came up unto 
them upon the roof; and she said unto the men, I 
know that the Lord hath given you the land, and 
that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the 
inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we 
have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the 
Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and 
what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that 
were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom 
ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard 
these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there 
remain any more courage in any man, because of 
you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven 
above, and in earth beneath. Now therefore, I pray 
you, swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed 
you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto 
my father's house, and give me a true token: and 
that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, 
and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they 
have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 119 

answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this 
our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath 
given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly 
with thee. Then she let them down by a cord through 
the window: for her house was upon the town wall, 
and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto 
them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers 
meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until 
the pursuers be returned : and afterwards may ye go 
your way. And the men said unto her, We will be 
blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us 
swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou 
shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window 
which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring 
thy father, and thy mother, and they brethren, and 
all thy father's household, home unto thee. And it 
shall be, that whatsoever shall go out of the doors of 
thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his 
head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall 
be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our 
head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter 
this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath 
which thou hast made us to swear. And she said, 
According unto your words, so be it. And she sent 
them away, and they departed: and she bound the 
scarlet line in the window. And they went, and came 
unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until 
the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought 
them throughout all the way, but found them not. 

So the two men returned, and descended from the 
mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the 
son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: 
and they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath de- 
livered into our hands all the land; for even all the 
inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. 



120 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



3. The Passage Over Jordan, 






And it came to pass after three days, that the 
officers went through the host; and they commanded 
the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the 
covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the 
Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your 
place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space 
between you and it, about two thousand cubits by 
measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know 
the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed 
this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, 
Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will 
do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the 
priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and 
pass over before the people. And they took up the 
ark of the covenant, and went before the people. 

And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I 
begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that 
they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I 
will be with thee. And thou shalt command the 
priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 
When ye are come to the brink of the water of 
Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 

And it came to pass, when the people removed 
from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests 
bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 
and as they that bare the ark were come unto 
Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark 
were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan 
overflowed! all his banks all the time of harvest,) that 
the waters which came down from above stood and 
rose up upon a heap; and those that came down 
toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed 
and were cut off: and the people passed over right 
against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark 
of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 121 

in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed 
over on dry ground, until all the people were passed 
clean over Jordan. And it came to pass, when the 
priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the 
soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry- 
land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their 
place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. 

And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth 
day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the 
east border of Jericho. And twelve stones, which 
they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 
And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, 
When your children shall ask their fathers in time 
to come, saying, What mean these stones? then ye 
shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over 
this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God 
dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until 
ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to 
the Red sea, that all the people of the earth might 
know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that 
ye might fear the Lord your God for ever. 

And the children of Israel kept the passover on 
the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains 
of Jericho. And the manna ceased on the morrow 
after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; 
neither had the children of Israel manna any more; 
but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan 
that year. 



4. The Fall of Jericho. 

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, 
that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, 
there stood a man over against him with his sword 
drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and 
said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adver- 



122 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

saries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the 
host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell 
on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said 
unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? 
And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, 
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where- 
on thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. 

Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the 
children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. 
And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given 
into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and 
the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the 
city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city 
once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests 
shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' 
horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city 
seven times, and the priests shall blow with the 
trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they 
make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye 
hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall 
shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city 
shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up 
every man straight before him. 

And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the 
priests took up the ark of the Lord. And seven 
priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before 
the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew 
with the trumpets: and the armed men went before 
them; but the rearward came after the ark of the 
Lord, the priests going on, and blowing with the 
trumpets. And the second day they compassed the 
city once, and returned into the camp. So they did 
six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, 
that they rose early about the dawning of the day, 
and compassed the city after the same manner seven 
times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when 
the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto 
the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 123 

city. So the people shouted when the priests blew 
with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the 
people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people 
shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down 
flat, so that the people went up into the city, every 
man straight before him, and they took the city. And 
they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both 
man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, 
and ass, with the edge of the sword. 

But Joshua said unto the two men that had spied 
out the country, Go into the house, and bring out 
thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware 
unto her. And the young men that were spies went 
in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her 
mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and 
they brought out all her kindred, and left them with- 
out the camp of Israel. And they burnt the city with 
fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the 
gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into 
the treasury of the house of the Lord. 



5. The Capture of Ai. 
(i) An Israelitish Repulse. 

And Joshua sent men from Jericho. And the men 
went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, 
and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let 
about two or three thousand men go up and smite 
Ai; for they are but few. So there went up thither 
of the people about three thousand men; and they 
fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote 
of them about thirty and six men: wherefore the 
hearts of the people melted, and became as water. 

And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth 
upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the even- 
tide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon 



124 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

their heads. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get 
thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Up, 
sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against 
to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, 
There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O 
Israel : thou canst not stand before thine enemies, 
until ye take away the accursed thing from among 

YOU. 



(2) The Sin of Achan. 

So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought 
Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was 
taken: and he brought the family of Judah; and he 
took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the 
family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was 
taken: and he brought his household man by man; 
and Achan, the son of Carmi, was taken. And Joshua 
said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory 
to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto 
him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it 
not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, 
Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel: 
when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish 
garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a 
wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted 
them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in 
the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver 
under it. 

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the 
tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver 
under it. And they took them out of the midst of 
the tent, and brought them unto Joshua. And Joshua, 
and all Israel with him, took Achan, and the silver, 
and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, 
and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and 
his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 125 

brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua 
said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall 
trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him 
with stones, and burned them with fire, after they 
had stoned them with stones. And they raised over 
him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the 
Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. 



(3) A Clever Stratagem. 

And Joshua and all the people of war that were 
with him, came before the city, and pitched on the 
north side of Ai: now there was a valley between 
them and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, 
and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and 
Ai, on the west side of the city. And when they had 
set the people, even all the host that was on the north 
of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the 
city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the 
valley. 

And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, 
that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of 
the city went out against Israel to battle, at a time 
appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there 
were liers in ambush against him behind the city. 
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were 
beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wil- 
derness. And all the people that were in Ai were 
called together to pursue after them: and they pur- 
sued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the 
city. And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, 
that went not out after Israel: and they left the 
city open, and pursued after Israel. And the Lord 
said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in 
thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. 
And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in 
his hand toward the city. And the ambush rose 






126 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as 
he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into 
the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on 
fire. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they 
saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up 
to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way 
or that way: and the people that fled to the wilder- 
ness turned back upon the pursuers. And when Joshua 
and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the 
city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then 
they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. And the 
other issued out of the city against them; so they 
were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and 
some on that side: and they smote them, so that they 
let none of them remain or escape. And the king of 
Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 

And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of 
men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the 
men of Ai. For Joshua drew not his hand back, 
wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had 
utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only 
the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a 
prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the 
Lord which he commanded Joshua. And the king 
of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as 
soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that 
they should take his carcass down from the tree, and 
cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and 
raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth 
unto this day. 

6. The Deception of the Gibeonites. 

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what 
Joshua had done unto Jericho and Ai, they did work 
wilily, and went and made as if they had been am- 
bassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and 
wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; and old 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 127 

shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments 
upon them ; and all the bread of their provision was 
dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the 
camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men 
of Israel, We be come from a far country: now 
therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of 
Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell 
among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 
And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. 
And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from 
whence come ye? And they said unto him, From 
a very far country thy servants are come, because of 
the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard 
the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all 
that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, to 
Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan. 
Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our 
country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you 
for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto 
them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye 
a league with us. This our bread we took hot for 
our provision out of our houses on the day we came 
forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and 
it is mouldy: and these bottles of wine, which we 
filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these 
our garments and our shoes are become old by reason 
of the very long journey. And the men took of their 
victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the 
Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made 
a league with them, to let them live: and the princes 
of the congregation sware unto them. 

And it came to pass at the end of three days after 
they had made a league with them, that they heard that 
they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among 
them. And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto 
them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, 
We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? 
Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none 






128 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of 
wood and drawers of water for the house of my 
God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because 
it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord 
thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you 
all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the 
land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid 
of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 
And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth 
good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And 
so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the 
hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them 
not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of 
wood and drawers of water for the congregation, 
and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, 
in the place which he should choose. 

7. The Defeat of the Five Kings. 

Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham 
king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, 
and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir 
king of Egdon, saying, Come up unto me, and help 
me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made 
peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. 
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites gathered 
themselves together, and encamped before Gibeon, 
and made war against it. And the men of Gibeon 
sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack 
not thy hand from thy servants ; come up to us 
quickly, and save us: for all the kings of the Amorites 
are gathered together against us. 

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: 
for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall 
not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua there- 
fore came unto them suddenly, and went up from 
Gilgal all night. And the Lord discomfited them be- 
fore Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 129 

Gibeon. And it came to pass, as they fled from 
before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth- 
horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from 
heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they 
were more which died with hailstones than they whom 
the children of Israel slew with the sword. 

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the sight of 
Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, 
Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood 
still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged 
themselves upon their enemies. And there was no 
day like that before it or after it, that the Lord 
hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord 
fought for Israel. 

And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are 
found hid in a cave at Makkedah. And Joshua said, 
Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set 
men by it for to keep them: and stay ye not, but 
pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost 
of them; suffer them not to enter unto their cities: 
for the Lord your God hath delivered them into 
your hand. And it came to pass, when Joshua and 
the children of Israel had made an end of slaying 
them with a very great slaughter, that the rest which 
remained of them entered into fenced cities. 

And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua 
at Makkedah in peace: then said Joshua, Open the 
mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings 
unto me Gut of the cave. And it came to pass, when 
they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua 
called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the 
captains of the men of war which went with him, 
Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. 
And they came near, and put their feet upon the 
necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear 
not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: 
for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against 
whom ye fight. And afterward Joshua smote them, 



130 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and 
they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. 
And it came to pass at the time of the going down 
of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took 
them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave 
wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in 
the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day. 

8. The Inheritance of Caleb. 

Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in 
Gilgal: and Caleb said unto him, Thou knowest 
the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man 
of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. 
And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the 
land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine 
inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou 
hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, 
behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these 
forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this 
word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wan- 
dered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day 
fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong 
this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: 
as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, 
for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now there- 
fore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake 
in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the 
Anakim were there, and that the cities were great 
and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then 
I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. 

And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb Heb- 
ron for an inheritance. And Caleb drove thence the 
three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, 
the children of Anak. Hebron therefore became the 
inheritance of Caleb unto this day; because that he 
wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 131 



9. The Cities of Refuge. 

The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak 
to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you 
cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the 
hand of Moses: that the slayer that killeth any per- 
son unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and 
they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 
And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities 
shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, 
and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders 
of that city, they shall take him into the city unto 
#hem, and give him a place, that he may dwell among 
them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, 
then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his 
hand ; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, 
and hated him not beforetime. And he shall dwell 
in that city, until he stand before the congregation 
for judgment, and until the death of the high priest 
that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer 
return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own 
house, unto the city from whence he fled. 

And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount 
Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and 
Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of 
Judah. And on the other side Jordan by Jericho east- 
ward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the 
plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in 
Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan 
out of the tribe of Manasseh. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 133 



V. UNDER THE JUDGES. 



1. Ehud the Deliverer. 

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass that 
the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the 
Lord, and served Baalim: nevertheless the Lord raised 
up judges, which delivered them out of the hand 
of those that spoiled them. And it came to pass, 
when the judge was dead, that they returned, and 
corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in fol- 
lowing other gods to serve them, and to bow down 
unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, 
nor from their stubborn way. 

So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of 
Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel 
cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a 
deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man 
lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent 
a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud 
made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit 
length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon 
his right thigh. And he brought the present unto 
Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. 
And when he had made an end to offer the present, 
he sent away the people that bare the present. But 
he himself turned again from the quarries that were 
by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, 
O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood 
by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto 
him ; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which 
he had for himself alone: and Ehud said, I have a 
message from God unto thee. And he arose out of 
his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took 



134 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into 
his belly, and the haft also went in after the blade; 
and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could 
not draw the dagger out of his belly. Then Ehud 
went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of 
the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was 
gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, 
behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they 
tarried: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the 
parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: 
and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the 
earth. 

And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed 
beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath. And 
it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a 
trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children 
of Israel went down with him from the mount, and 
he before them. And he said unto them, Follow after 
me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the 
Moabites into your hand. And they went down after 
him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and 
suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of 
Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, 
and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. 
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of 
Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. 



2. The Victory of Deborah and Barak. 



And the children of Israel again did evil in the 
sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the 
Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, 
that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was 
Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. 
And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: for 
he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty 
years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 135 

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, 
she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under 
the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el 
in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came 
up to her for judgment. And she sent and called 
Barak, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God 
of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward 
mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men 
of the children of Naphtali and of the children of 
Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee, to the river 
Kishon, Sisera the captain of Jabin's army, with his 
chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into 
thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt 
go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go 
with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will 
surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that 
thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the 
Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. 
And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 

And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 
and he w r ent up with ten thousand men at his feet: 
and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the 
Kenite, had severed himself from the Kenites, and 
pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is 
by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the 
son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. And 
Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine 
hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were 
with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the 
river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; 
for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered 
Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out 
before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, 
and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord dis- 
comfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, 
with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that 
Siseia lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on 
his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and 



136 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and 
all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; 
and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled 
away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber 
the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin and 
the house of Heber the Kenite. 

And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto 
him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And 
when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she 
covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, 
Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I 
am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and 
gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto 
her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, 
when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and 
say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 
Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and 
took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, 
and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it 
into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. 
So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, 
Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, 
and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. 
And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay 
dead, and the nail was in his temple. 

So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of 
Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand 
of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed 
against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had de- 
stroyed Jabin king of Canaan. 



3. Gideon and the Midianites. 

(/) Gideon and the Angel. 

And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of 
the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 137 

of Midian seven years. And there came an angel of 
the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, 
that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son 
Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it 
from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord 
appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is 
with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon 
said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, 
why then is all this befallen us? and where be all 
his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did 
not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the 
Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the 
hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon 
him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt 
save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have 
not I sent thee? And he said unto him, O my Lord, 
wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is 
poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's 
house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will 
be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as 
one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found 
grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou 
talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until 
I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and 
set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until 
thou come again. 

And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and 
unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he 
put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and 
brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented 
it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the 
flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this 
rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then 
the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff 
that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the 
unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the 
rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. 
Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. 



138 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel 
of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for 
because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to 
face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto 
thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built 
an altar there unto the Lord. 



(2) The Altar of Baal 

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord 
said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock and 
throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, 
and cut down the grove that is by it: and build an 
altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this 
rock, and take the bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice 
with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut 
down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, 
and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it 
was, because he feared his father's household, and the 
men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that 
he did it by night. 

And when the men of the city arose early in the 
morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, 
and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the 
bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And 
they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? 
And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon 
the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men 
of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that 
he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of 
Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that 
was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against 
him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he 
that will plead for him, let him be put to death, 
whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead 
for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 139 



(3 ) Gideon and the Fleece. 

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and 
the children of the east were gathered together, and 
went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. But 
the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he 
blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. 
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; 
who also was gathered after him: and he sent mes- 
sengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto 
Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. And 
Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by 
mine hand, as thou hast said, behold, I will put a 
fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the 
fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth besides, 
then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine 
hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose 
up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, 
and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of 
water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine 
anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this 
once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with 
the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, 
and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God 
did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, 
and there was dew on all the ground. 



(4) The Overthrow of the Midianites. 

Then Gideon, and all the people that were with 
him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of 
Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on 
the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the 
valley. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people 
that are with thee are too many for me to give the 
Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt them- 



140 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

selves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved 
me. Now therefoie go to, proclaim in the ears of the 
people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let 
him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And 
there returned of the people twenty and two thou- 
sand; and there remained ten thousand. 

And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are 
yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and 
I will try them for thee there. So he brought down 
the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto 
Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his 
tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by him- 
self; likewise every one that boweth down upon his 
knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, 
putting their hand to theii mouth, were three hundred 
men: but all the rest of the people bowed down 
upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said 
unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped 
will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine 
hand: and let all the other people go every man unto 
his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, 
and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel 
every man unto his tent, and retained those three hun- 
dred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him 
in the valley. 

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord 
said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; 
for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou 
fear to go down, go thou with Phurah, thy servant 
down to the host: and thou shalt hear what they say; 
and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to 
go down unto the host. Then went he down with 
Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men 
that were in the host. And the Midianites and the 
Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along 
in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and 
their camels were without number, as the sand by 
the seaside for multitude. And when Gideon was 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 141 

come, behold, there was a man that told a dream 
unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, 
and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host 
of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that 
it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And 
his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else 
save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man 
of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, 
and all the host. 

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of 
the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he 
worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and 
said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand 
the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred 
men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in 
every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps 
within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look 
on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to 
the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so 
shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all 
that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on 
every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of 
the Lord, and of Gideon. 

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with 
him, came unto the outside of the camp in the begin- 
ning of the middle watch; and they had but newly 
set the watch. And the three companies blew the 
trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps 
in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right 
hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of 
the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man 
in his place round about the camp: and all the host 
ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew 
the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword 
against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and 
the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the 
border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. And the men 
of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, 



142 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pur- 
sued after the Midianites. 

And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount 
Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, 
and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and 
Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered them- 
selves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah 
and Jordan. And they took two princes of the Mid- 
ianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the 
rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of 
Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of 
Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. 



4. Abimelech's Short Reign. 
( i) Jotharns Parable. 






And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to 
Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed 
with them, and with all the family of the house of 
his mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the 
ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better 
for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which 
are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or 
that one reign over you? remember also that I 
am your bone and your flesh. And his mother's 
brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men 
of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined 
to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother 
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver 
out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech 
hired vain and light persons, which followed him. And 
he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew 
his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore 
and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding, yet 
Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for 
he hid himself. And all the men of Shechem gathered 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 143 

together, and all the house of Millo, and went and 
made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that 
was in Shechem. 

And when they told it to Jotham, he went and 
stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his 
voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto 
me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto 
you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a 
king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, 
Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto 
them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me 
they honour God and man, and go to be promoted 
over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, 
Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said 
unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my 
good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and 
reign over us. And the vine said unto them, Should 
I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and 
go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the 
trees untc the bramble, Come thou, and reign over 
us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth 
ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your 
trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of 
the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 

Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, 
in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have 
dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have 
done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 
then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice 
in you: but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, 
and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of 
Millo; and let fire come out from the men of She- 
chem, and from the house of Millo, and devour 
Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went 
to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his 
brother. 



144 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



(2) Abimelech and Gaal. 

When Abimelech had reigned three years over 
Israel, then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech 
and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem 
dealt treacherously with Abimelech: and Gaal the 
son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over 
to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their con- 
fidence in him. And they went out into the fields, 
and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, 
and made merry, and went into the house of their 
god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 
And Gaal said, Who is Abimelech, that we should 
serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul 
his officer? And would to God this people were under 
my hand ! then would I remove Abimelech. And he 
said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 

And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the 
words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was 
kindled. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech 
privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and 
his brethien be come to Shechem; and, behold, they 
fortify the city against thee. Now therefore up by 
night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie 
in wait in the field: and it shall be, that in the 
morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise 
early, and set upon the city; and, behold, when he 
and the people that is with him come out against 
thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find 
occasion. 

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that 
were with him, by night, and they laid wait against 
Shechem in four companies. And Gaal went out, 
and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and 
Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with 
him, from lying in wait. And when Gaal saw the 
people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 145 

down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul 
said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the moun- 
tains as if they were men. And Gaal spake again, 
See, there come people down by the middle of the 
land, and another company come along by the plain 
of Meonenim. Then said Zebul unto him, Where 
is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is 
Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this 
the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray 
now, and fight with them. And Gaal went out before 
the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, 
and many were overthrown and w T ounded, even unto 
the entering of the gate. 

And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust 
out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell 
in Shechem. And it came to pass on the morrow, 
that the people went out into the field; and they told 
Abimelech. And he took the people, and divided them 
into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and 
looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out 
of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote 
them. And Abimelech, and the company that was 
with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering 
of the gate of the city: and the two other companies 
ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and 
slew them. And Abimelech fought against the city 
all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people 
that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed 
it with salt. 

And when all the men of the tower of Shechem 
heard that, they entered into a hold of the house of 
the god Berith. And it was told Abimelech, that all 
the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered 
together. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zal- 
mon, he and all the people that were with him; and 
Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a 
bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his 



146 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

shoulder, and said unto the people that were with 
him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do 
as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down 
every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and 
put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon 
them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem 
died also, about a thousand men and women. 



(3) At the Tower of Thebez. 

Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped 
against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong- 
tower within the city, and thither fled all the men 
and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to 
them, and gat them up to the top of the tower. And 
Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against 
it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn 
it with fire. And a certain woman cast a piece of 
a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake 
his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young 
man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy 
sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman 
slew him. And his young man thrust him through, 
and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that 
Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto 
his place. Thus God rendered the wickedness of 
Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying 
his seventy brethren: and all the evil of the men of 
Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon 
them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 



5. Jephthah's Oath. 

And it came to pass in process of time, that the 
children of Ammon made war against Israel. And 
the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 147 

the land of Tob: and they said unto Jephthah, Come 
and be our captain, that we may fight with the children 
of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of 
Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my 
father's house? and why are ye come unto me now 
when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead 
said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee 
now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against 
the children of Ammon, and be our head over all 
the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto 
the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to 
fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord 
deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And 
the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord 
be witness between us, if we do not so according to 
thy words. 

And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and 
said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children 
of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that 
whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house 
to meet me, when I return in peace from the children 
of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will 
offer it up for a burnt offering. 

So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Am- 
mon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered 
them into his hands. 

And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, 
behold, his daughter came out to meet him with 
timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; 
beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it 
came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his 
clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought 
me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble 
me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and 
I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My 
father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, 
do to me according to that which hath proceeded 
out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken 



148 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the 
children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, 
Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two 
months, that I may go up and down upon the moun- 
tains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And 
he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: 
and she went with her companions, and bewailed her 
virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass 
at the end of two months, that she returned unto 
her father, who did with her according to his vow 
which he had vowed: and it was a custom in Israel, 
that the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament 
the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in 
a year. 

6. Samson, the Strong Man. 

( i) Samson s Riddle. 

And Samson went down to Timnath, and he came 
up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I 
have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of 
the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is 
there never a woman among the daughters of thy 
brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to 
take a wife of the Philistines? And Samson said unto 
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
But his father and his mother knew not that it was 
of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the 
Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had 
dominion over Israel. 

Then went Samson down, and his father and his 
mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of 
Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against 
him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon 
him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, 
and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 149 

father or his mother what he had done. And he 
went down, and talked with the woman; and she 
pleased Samson well. 

And after a time he returned to take her, and he 
turned aside to see the carcass of the lion: and, behold, 
there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass 
of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, and 
went on eating, and came to his father and mother, 
and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not 
them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass 
of the lion. 

So his father went down unto the woman: and 
Samson made there a feast; for so used the young 
men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, 
that they brought thirty companions to be with him. 
And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth 
a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me 
within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, 
then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change 
of garments: but if ye cannot declare it me, then 
shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of 
garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy 
riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them, 
Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the 
strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in 
three days expound the riddle. And it came to pass 
on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's 
wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto 
us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house 
with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? 
is it not so? And Samson's wife wept before him, 
and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: 
thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my 
people, and hath not told it me. And he said unto 
her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my 
mother, and shall I tell it thee? And she wept before 
him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it 
came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, 



150 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

because she pressed him sore: and she told the riddle 
to the children of her people. And the men of the 
city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun 
went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what 
is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If 
ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found 
out my riddle. 

And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and 
he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of 
them, and took their spoil, and gave change of gar- 
ments unto them which expounded the riddle. And 
his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's 
house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, 
whom he had used as his friend. 

(2) The Foxes and the Jawbone of an Ass. 

But it came to pass within a while after, in the 
time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife 
with a kid; and her father said, I verily thought that 
thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to 
thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than 
she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And Sam- 
son said concerning them, Now shall I be more blame- 
less than the Philistines, though I do them a displeas- 
ure. And Samson went and caught three hundred 
foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, 
and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. 
And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them 
go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt 
up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with 
the vineyards and the olives. 

Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And 
they answered Samson, the son in law of the Tini- 
nite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to 
his companion. And the Philistines came up, and 
burnt her and her father with fire. 

And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 151 

this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I 
will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh with 
a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in 
the top of the rock Etam. Then the Philistines went 
up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in 
Lehi. And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come 
up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson 
are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us. 
Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top 
of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou 
not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what 
is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said 
unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto 
them. And they said unto him, We are come down 
to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand 
of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, 
Swear unto me that ye will not fall upon me your- 
selves. And they spake unto him, saying, No; but 
we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their 
hand : but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound 
him with two new cords, and brought him up from 
the rock. 

And w T hen he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted 
against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily 
upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms be- 
came as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands 
loosed from off his hands. And he found a new jaw- 
bone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, 
and slew a thousand men therewith. And Samson 
said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, 
with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand 
men. And it came to pass when he had made an end 
of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of 
his hand. 

And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, 
and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into 
the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for 
thirst. But God clave a hollow place that was in 



152 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when 
he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived. 



(3) Samson and Delilah. 

And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a 
woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was De- 
lilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto 
her, and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein 
his great strength lieth, and by what means we may 
prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict 
him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven 
hundred pieces of silver. 

And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, 
wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou 
mightest be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said 
unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that 
were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as 
another man. Then the lords of the Philistines 
brought up to her seven green withs which had not 
been dried, and she bound him with them. Now 
there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in 
the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philis- 
tines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, 
as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the 
fire. So his strength was not known. And Delilah 
said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and 
told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith 
thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If 
they bind me fast with new ropes that never were 
occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another 
man. Delilah therefore took new ropes and bound 
him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines 
be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait 
abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from 
off his arms like a thread. And Delilah said unto 
Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me 






OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 153 

lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And 
he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of 
my head with the web. And she fastened it with the 
pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, 
Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went 
away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. 

And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love 
thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou hast 
mocked me these three times, and hast not told me 
wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to 
pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, 
and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; 
that he told her all his heart, and said unto her, 
There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for 
I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's 
womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go 
from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any 
other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told 
her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of 
the Philistines, saying, Come up this once for he hath 
shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Phil- 
istines came up unto her, and brought money in their 
hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; 
and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave 
off the seven locks of his head; and his strength went 
from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon 
thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and 
said, I will go out as at other times before, and 
shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was 
departed from him. 

But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, 
and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with 
fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. 
Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again 
after he was shaven. 



154 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



(4) The Death of Samson. 

Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them to- 
gether for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their 
god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath de- 
livered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when 
the people saw him, they praised their god: for they 
said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our 
enemy and the destroyer of our country, w T hich 
slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their 
hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, 
that he may make us sport. And they called for Sam- 
son out of the prison house; and he made them sport: 
and they set him between the pillars. And Sam- 
son said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer 
me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house 
standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the 
house was full of men and women; and all the lords 
of the Philistines were there; and there were upon 
the roof about three thousand men and women, that 
beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called 
unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, 
I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this 
once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the 
Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold 
of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, 
and on which it was borne up, of the one with his 
right hand, and of the other with his left. And Sam- 
son said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he 
bowed himself with all his might ; and the house fell 
upon the lords, and upon all the people that were 
therein. So the dead which he slew at his death 
were more than thev which he slew in his life. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 155 



7. MlCAH AND THE MIGRATION OF THE DANITES. 

And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose 
name was Micah. And he said unto his mother, The 
eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken 
from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of 
also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I 
took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of 
the Lord, my son. And when he had restored the 
eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his 
mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto 
the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a graven 
image and a molten image: now therefore I will 
restore it unto thee, Yet he restored the money unto 
his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels 
of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made 
thereof a graven image and a molten image: and 
they were in the house of Micah. And the man Micah 
had a house of gods, and made an ephod, and tera- 
phim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became 
his priest. 

And there was a young man out of Beth-lehem- 
judah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite. 
And the man departed out of the city to sojourn 
where he could find a place: and he came to mount 
Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 
And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and 
be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give 
thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit 
of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in. 
And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; 
and the young man was unto him as one of his sons. 
And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young 
man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 
Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will 
do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest. 

In those days the tribe of the Danites sought them 



156 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their 
inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes 
of Israel. And the children of Dan sent of their 
family five men from their coasts, men of valour, 
from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, 
and to search it. When they were by the house of 
Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the 
Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto 
him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest 
thou in this place? and what hast thou here? And 
he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah 
with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest. 
And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, 
of God, that we may know whether our way which 
we go shall be prosperous. And the priest said unto 
them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way 
wherein ye go. 

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, 
and saw the people that were therein, how they 
dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, 
quiet and secure. And they came unto their brethren 
to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto 
them, What say ye? And they said, Arise, that we 
may go up against them: for we have seen the land, 
and, behold, it is very good: be not slothful to go, 
and to enter to possess the land. When ye go, ye 
shall come unto a people secure, and to a large 
land: for God hath given it into your hands; a 
place where there is no want of any thing that is in 
the earth. 

And there went of the family of the Danites, out 
of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men ap- 
pointed with weapons of war. And they went up, 
and came unto the house of Micah. And the six 
hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, 
which were of the children of Dan, stood by the 
entering of the gate. And the five men that went to 
spy out the land, went into Micah's hous«, and 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 157 

fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the tera- 
phim, and the molten image. Then said the priest 
unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, 
Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and 
go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is 
it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of 
one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and 
a family in Israel? And the priest's heart was glad, 
and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the 
graven image, and went in the midst of the people. 
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones 
and the cattle and the carriage before them. 

And when they were a good way from the house 
of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to 
Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook 
the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children 
of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto 
Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such 
a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my 
gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone 
away: and what have I more? and what is this that 
ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children 
of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard 
among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou 
lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the 
children of Dan went their way: and when Micah 
saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and 
went back unto his house. 

And they took the things which Micah had made, 
and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, 
unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they 
smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt 
the city with fire. And there was no deliverer, because 
it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with 
any man. And they built a city, and dwelt therein. 
And they called the name of the city Dan, after the 
name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel. 



158 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

8. Ruth the Moabitess. 
( i) Naomi and Ruth. 

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges 
ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a 
certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in 
the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two 
sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and 
the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his 
two sons Mahlon and Chilion. And they came into 
the country of Moab, and continued there. And 
Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and 
her two sons. And they took them wives of the 
women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, 
and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelt 
there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died 
also both of them; and the woman was left of her 
two sons and her husband. 

Then she arose with her daughters in law, that 
she might return from the country of Moab: for 
she had heard in the country of Moab how that 
the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. 
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she 
was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they 
went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, 
return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal 
kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and 
with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, 
each of you in the house of her husband. Then she 
kissed them ; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. 
And they said unto her, Surely we will return with 
thee unto thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, 
my daughters: why will ye go with me? And they 
lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah 
kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 159 

And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back 
unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after 
thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Entreat me not to 
leave thee, or to return from following after thee: 
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou 
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, 
and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, 
and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, 
and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. 
When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to 
go with her, then she left speaking unto her. 

So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. 
And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth- 
lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and 
they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, 
Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty 
hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, 
and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: 
why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath 
testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted 
me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth with her: and 
they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley 
harvest. 



(2) Ruth Gleans in the Field of Boaz. 

And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a 
mighty man of wealth; and his name was Boaz. And 
Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now 
go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in 
whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto 
her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came, and 
gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap 
was to light on a part of the field belonging unto 
Boaz. And, behold, Boaz came from Beth-lehem, and 
said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And 
they answered him, The Lord bless thee. Then said 



160 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES, 

Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, 
Whose damsel is this? And the servant that was 
set over the reapers answered and said, It is the 
Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out 
of the country of Moab: and she said, I pray you, 
let me glean and gather after the reapers among the 
sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from 
the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the 
house. Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, 
my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, 
neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my 
maidens: let thine eyes be on the field that they do 
reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged 
the young men that they shall not touch thee? and 
when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink 
of that which the young men have drawn. Then she 
fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, 
and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine 
eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, 
seeing I am a stranger? And Boaz answered and 
said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all 
that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since 
the death of thine husband; and how thou hast 
left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy 
nativity, and art come unto a people which thou 
knewest not heretofore. The Lord recompense thy 
work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord 
God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come 
to trust. Then she said, Let me find favour in thy 
sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, 
and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine 
handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine 
handmaidens. And Boaz said unto her, At meal- 
time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and 
dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside 
the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and 
she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. And when 
she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 161 

men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, 
and reproach her not: and let fall also some of the 
handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that 
she may glean them, and rebuke her not. So she 
gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she 
had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 

And she took it up, and went into the city; and 
her mother in law saw what she had gleaned: and 
she brought forth, and gave to her that she had 
reserved after she was sufficed. And her mother in 
law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? 
and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did 
take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother 
in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The 
man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 
And Naomi said unto her daughter jn law, Blessed 
be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness 
to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto 
her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our 
next kinsmen. And Ruth the Moabitess said, He said 
unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, 
until they have ended all my harvest. And Naomi 
said unto Ruth her daughter in law, It is good, my 
daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they 
meet thee not in any other field. So she kept fast 
by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of 
barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with 
her mother in law. 



(3) The Winnowing of the Barley. 

Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My 
daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may 
be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our 
kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, 
he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. 
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy 



162 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: 
but make not thyself known unto the man, until he 
shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be 
when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place 
where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover 
his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee 
what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, All that 
thou sayest unto me I will do. 

And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart 
was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the 
heap of corn: and she came softly, and uncovered his 
feet, and laid her down. And it came to pass at 
midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned him- 
self: and, behold, a woman lay at his feet. And he 
said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth 
thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine 
handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. And he said, 
Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou 
hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than 
at the beginning, inasmuch as thou followedst not 
young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my 
daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou 
requirest: for all the city of my people doth know 
that thou art a virtuous woman. And now it is true 
that I am thy near kinsman: howbeit there is a kins- 
man nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it shall 
be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee 
the part of kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's 
part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to 
thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, 
as the Lord liveth: lie down until the morning. 

And she lay at his feet until the morning: and she 
rose up before one could know another. And he 
said, Let it not be known that a woman came into 
the floor. Also he said, Bring the vail that thou 
hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, 
he measured six measures of barley, and laid it on 
her: and she went into the city. And when she came 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 163 

to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my 
daughter? And she told her all that the man had 
done to her. And she said, These six measures of 
barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty 
unto thy mother in law. Then said she, Sit still, my 
daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: 
for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished 
the thing this day. 



(4) The Act of a Kinsman. 

Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down 
there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake 
came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn 
aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat 
down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, 
and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. 
And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come 
again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of 
land, which was our brother Elimelech's : and I thought 
to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, 
and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt 
redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, 
then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to 
redeem it besides thee; and I am after thee. And 
he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day 
thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must 
buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the 
dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his 
inheritance. 

And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for my- 
self, lest I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou 
my right to thyself; for I cannot redeem it. Now 
this was the manner in former time in Israel con- 
cerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to 
confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and 
gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony 



164 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, 
Buy it for thee. So he drew off his shoe. 

And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the 
people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought 
all that was Eimelech's, and all that was Chilion's 
and Mahlon's of the hand of Naomi. Moreover Ruth 
the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased 
to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon 
his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off 
from among his brethren, and from the gate of his 
place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people 
that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are 
witnesses. The Lord make the woman that is come 
into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two 
did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily 
in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem: so Boaz 
took Ruth, and she was his wife: and she bare a 
son. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her 
bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women 
her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a 
son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: 
he is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 



9. In the Days of Samuel. 
(i) The Birth of Samuel. 

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim- 
zophim, and his name was Elkanah: and he had two 
wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name 
of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, 
but Hannah had no children. And this man went up 
out of his city to worship and to sacrifice unto the 
Lord of hosts in Shiloh. 

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, 
and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat 
upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 165 

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto 
the Lord, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and 
said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on 
the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, 
and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto 
thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto 
the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no 
razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as 
she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked 
her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; 
only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: 
therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And 
Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? 
put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered 
and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful 
spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, 
but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Count 
not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out 
of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I 
spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go 
in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy peti- 
tion that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let 
thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman 
went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was 
no more sad; and the Lord remembered her. 

Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was 
come about, that she bare a son, and called his name 
Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the 
Lord. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went 
up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his 
vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto 
her husband, I will not go up until the child be 
weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear 
before the Lord, and there abide for ever. And 
Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth 
thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only 
the Lord establish his word, So the woman abode, 
and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And 



166 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, 
with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a 
bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of 
the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. And 
they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 
And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my 
lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, pray- 
ing unto the Lord. For this child I prayed; and the 
Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of 
him: therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; 
as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. 
And he worshipped the Lord there. Moreover his 
mother made him a little coat, and brought it to 
him from year to year, when she came up with her 
husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 



(2) The Call of Samuel. 

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord 
before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious 
in those days; there was no open vision. And it came 
to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his 
place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could 
not see; and ere the lamp of God went out in the 
temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and 
Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lord called 
Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran 
unto Eli, and said, Here am I ; for thou calledst me. 
And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he 
went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, 
Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and 
said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he 
answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now 
Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the 
word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. And the 
Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he 
arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 167 

didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had 
called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, 
Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou 
shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So 
Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the 
Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, 
Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; 
for thy servent heareth. 

And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a 
thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one 
that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will per- 
form against Eli all things which I have spoken con- 
cerning his house: when I begin, I will also make 
an end. For I have told him that I will judge his 
house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; 
because his sons made themselves vile, and he re- 
strained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto 
the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall 
not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 

And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the 
doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared 
to shew Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and 
said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. 
And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath 
said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: 
God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any 
thing from me of all things that he said unto thee. 
And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing 
from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do 
what seemeth him good. 

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, 
and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 
And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew 
that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the 
Lord. And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for 
the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the 
word of the Lord. 



168 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 



(3) The Death of Eli. 

Now Israel went out against the Philistines to 
battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philis- 
tines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put them- 
selves in array against Israel: and when they joined 
battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and 
they slew of the army in the field about four thousand 
men. 

And when the people were come into the camp, 
the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord 
smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us 
fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of 
Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it 
may save us out of the hand of our enemies. So the 
people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from 
thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, 
which dwelleth between the cherubim: and the two 
sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with 
the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark 
of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all 
Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth 
rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise 
of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of 
this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And 
they understood that the ark of the Lord was come 
into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid; for 
they said, God is come into the camp. And they 
said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a 
thing heretofore. Woe unto us; who shall deliver us 
out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the 
Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues 
in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like 
men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto 
the Hebrew, as they have been to you: quit your- 
selves like men, and fight. 

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES, 169 

and they fled every man into his tent: and there was 
a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty 
thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; 
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were 
slain. 

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, 
and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, 
and with earth upon his head. And when he came, 
lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the way side watching: 
for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And 
when the man came into the city, and told it, all the 
city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the 
crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? 
And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. Now Eli 
was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were 
dim, that he could not see. And the man said unto 
Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled 
to day out of the army. And he said, What is 
there done, my son? And the messenger answered and 
said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there 
hath been also a great slaughter among the people, 
and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, 
and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, 
when he made mention of the ark of God, that he 
fell from off the seat backward by the side of the 
gate, and his neck brake, and he died : for he was an 
old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty 
years. 



(4) The Ark Among the Philistines. 

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and 
brought it from Eben-ezer unto Ashdod. When the 
Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it 
into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And 
when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, 
behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth 



170 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, 
and set him in his place again. And when they arose 
early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was 
fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark 
of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the 
palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; 
only the stump of Dagon was left to him. There- 
fore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come 
into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon 
in Ashdod unto this day. But the hand of the Lord 
was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed 
them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod 
and the coasts thereof. And when the men of Ashdod 
saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God 
©f Israel shall not abide with us. And they carried 
the ark of the God of Israel about to Gath. 

And the hand of the Lord was against the city 
with a very great destruction: and he smote the men 
of the city, both small and great. Therefore they 
sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, 
that the Ekronites gathered together all the lords 
of the Philistines and said, Send away the ark of 
the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own 
place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there 
was a deadly destruction throughout all the city ; 
the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men 
that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the 
cry of the city went up to heaven. 

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the 
Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called 
for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall 
we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we 
shall send it to his place. And they said, If ye send 
away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; 
but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then 
ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why 
his hand is not removed from you. Then said they, 
What shall be the trespass offering which we shall 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 171 

return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, 
and five golden mice, according to the number of 
the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was 
on you all and on your lords. Now therefore make 
a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there 
hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, 
and bring their calves home from them: and take the 
ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the 
jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass 
offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it 
away that it may go. And see, if it goeth up by the 
way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath 
done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know 
that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance 
that happened to us. 

And the men took two milch kine, and tied them 
to a cart, and shut up their calves at home: and 
they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and a 
coffer with mice of gold and images of their emerods. 
And the kine took the straight way to the way of 
Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing 
as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand 
or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went 
after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. And 
they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat har- 
vest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and 
saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the cart 
came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and 
stood there, where there was a great stone: and 
they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine 
a burnt offering unto the Lord. And the Levites 
took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that 
was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and 
put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth- 
shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacri- 
fices the same day unto the Lord. 

And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because 
they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he 



172 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and 
ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord 
had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 
And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to 
stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall 
he go up from us? 



(S) The Demand for a King. 

And the hand of the Lord was against the Philis- 
tines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which 
the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored 
to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath,\ and the 
coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of 
the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel 
and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel all 
the days of his life. And he went from year to year 
in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and 
judged Israel in all those places. And his return was 
to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he 
judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the 
Lord. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, 
that he made his sons judges over Israel. And his 
sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after 
lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then 
all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, 
and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, 
Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy 
ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the 
nations. 

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, 
Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed 
unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, 
Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that 
they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but 
they have rejected me, that I should not reign over 
them. Now hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 173 

protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the man- 
ner of the king that shall reign over them. 

And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto 
the people that asked of him a king. And he said, 
This will be the manner of the king that shall reign 
over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them 
for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; 
and some shall run before his chariots. And he will 
appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over 
fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to 
reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, 
and instruments of his chariots. And he will take 
your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, 
and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and 
your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of 
them, and give them to his servants. And he will 
take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, 
and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he 
will take your menservants, and your maidservants, 
and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and 
put them to his work. He will take the tenth of 
your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye 
shall cry out in that day because of your king which 
ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear 
you in that day. 

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice 
of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a 
king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; 
and that our king may judge us, and go out before 
us, and fight our battles. And the Lord said to 
Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them 
a king. 

(6) Saul Chosen King. 

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name 
was Kish, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And 
he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young 



174 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

man, and a goodly: and there was not among the 
children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his 
shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the 
people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were 
lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of 
the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 
And he passed through mount Ephraim, and he passed 
through the land of the Benjamites, but they found 
them not. And when they were come to the land of 
Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, 
Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring 
for the asses, and take thought for us. And he said 
unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of 
God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith 
cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; perad- 
venture he can shew us our way that we should go. 
Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, 
what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent 
in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to 
the man of God: what have we? And the servant 
answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here 
at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that 
will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire 
of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the 
seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was before- 
time called a Seer.) Then said Saul to his servant, 
Well said, come, let us go. So they went unto the 
city where the man of God was. 

And as they went up the hill to the city, they found 
young maidens going out to draw water, and said 
unto them, Is the seer here? And they answered 
them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make 
haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there 
is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: 
as soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straight- 
way find him, before he go up to the high place to 
eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 175 

he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat 
that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about 
this time ye shall find him. And they went up into 
the city: and when they were come into the city, be- 
hold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to 
the high place. 

Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day 
before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time 
I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, 
and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my 
people Israel, that he may save my people out of the 
hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my 
people, because their cry is come unto me. And when 
Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the 
man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign 
over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in 
the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the 
seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, 
I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; 
for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I 
will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine 
heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three 
days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are 
found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is 
it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? And Saul 
answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the 
smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the 
least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? 
wherefore then speakest thou so to me? 

And Samul took Saul and his servant, and brought 
them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chief- 
est place among them that were bidden, which were 
about thirty persons. And Samuel said unto the 
cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which 
I said unto thee, Set it by thee. And the cook took 
up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set 
it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which 
is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time 



176 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited 
the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. 

And when they were come down from the high 
place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon 
the top of the house. And they arose early: and it 
came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel 
called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that 
I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they 
went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. And 
as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel 
said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and 
he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may 
shew thee the word of God. 

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon 
his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because 
the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his in- 
heritance? When thou art departed from me to day, 
then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre 
in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will 
say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek 
are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of 
the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall 
I do for my son? Then shalt thou go on forward 
from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of 
Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up 
to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and an- 
other carrying three loaves of bread, and another 
carrying a bottle of wine: and they will salute thee, 
and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt 
receive of their hands. After that thou shalt come 
to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Phil- 
istines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come 
thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of 
prophets coming down from the high place with a 
psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before 
them; and they shall prophesy: And the Spirit of 
the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt proph- 
esy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 177 

And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, 
that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with 
thee. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; 
and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer 
burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace 
offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to 
thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do. 

And it was so, that, when he had turned his back 
to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and 
all those signs came to pass that day. And when they 
came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets 
met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and 
he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, 
when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, 
he prophesied among the prophets, then the people 
said one to another, What is this that is come unto 
the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 
And one of the same place answered and said, But 
who is their father? Therefore it became a pro- 
verb, Is Saul also among the prophets? And when 
he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the 
high place. 

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, 
Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: 
and when we saw that they were no where, we came 
to Samuel. And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray 
thee, what Samuel said unto you. And Saul said 
unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were 
found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof 
Samuel spake, he told him not. 

And Samuel called the people together unto the 
Lord to Mizpeh; and said unto the children of Israel, 
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up 
Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the 
hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all 
kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: and ye 
have this day rejected your God, who himself saved 
you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; 



178 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 






and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over 
us. Now therefore present yourselves before the 
Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands. And 
when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to 
come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When 
he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by 
their families, the family of Matri was taken, and 
Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought 
him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired 
of the Lord further, if the man should yet come 
thither. And the Lord answered, Behold, he hath 
hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and 
fetched him thence: and when he stood among the 
people, he was higher than any of the people from 
his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all 
the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, 
that there is none like him among all the pople? And 
all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 179 



NOTES. 



The word Bible is derived from the Greek "biblos," a reed, 
which grew in the shallow waters of the river Nile. From 
this the ancient Egyptians made papyrus (paper) which they used 
for their books. Hence Bible means "the book," but it is com- 
posed of sixty-six books of many different kinds. 

The two divisions, Old and New Testament, mean "the old 
and the new covenant" or "agreement" entered into between 
God and the ancient Jewish people. Man's duty to keep the 
old covenant is summed up in the Ten Commandments ; to keep 
the new, in the Golden Rule given by Christ. 

The stories of the text are taken from the first nine books 
of the Old Testament. The first five of these are called the 
Pentateuch, from a Greek word meaning "five-volume book," 
and contain the Sacred Books of the Jewish Law. Genesis, 
from the Greek, means the "beginning" or "origin of things." 
The stories through the death of Jacob are from Genesis. 
Exodus also comes from a Greek word meaning "the road-out," 
and tells of the journey of the Hebrews out of Egypt to the 
Wilderness. Leviticus, from Levi, contains the laws and cere- 
monies regulating the worship of the Jews under the supervision 
of the tribe of Levi. Numbers gets its name from the "num- 
bering" of the people. Deuteronomy is from two Greek words 
meaning the "second-law" or "repetition of the law." "The 
Death of Moses" ends the stories taken from these five books. 

The stories chosen from the book of Joshua recount the inva- 
sion of the land of Canaan under Joshua, and those taken from 
the books of Judges and Samuel I tell of the struggle of the 
Israelitish tribes against their enemies before the tribes were 
united into a monarchy under Saul. The story of Ruth comes 
in this period. 

I. Earliest Stories. — The first six stories give the answers of 
the early Hebrews to the great questions of life, which every 
people has asked, and of which the soul of man in all ages 
and at all times craves knowledge. Some of these are the 
origin of the universe and of all life; the institution of mar- 
riage ; the origin of sin, sorrow, suffering, work and death. 
Can you find others ? 

1. Question: Are the main facts of the Hebrew account of 
the creation in accord with the result of the scientific research 



180 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

of to-day? firmament: the vault of the heavens. his 

kind: "its" kind. "Its" is not found in the Bible. When the 
King James Translation of the Bible was published in 1611, 
the pronoun was just beginning to be used in place of "his" 
in the neuter singular possessive case. This must be kept in 
mind throughout the stories. 

2. Eden is identified by cuneiform writings with the plain 

of Babylon between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Peoples 

in the early stages of civilization often represent their gods or 

god as mingling among men and talking to them directly. 

Adam : that is, "man." 

3. Some of the ancestors of the serpent family walked upon 
legs. It will be interesting to look up some of these early 

monsters. Eve: that is "life." Cherubim (plural) : there 

were two orders of angels mentioned in the Bible, Cherubim and 
Seraphim. 

4. Cain and Abel: sons of Adam and Eve. Questions: 

Why did Cain and Abel offer sacrifices ? Why do not we 

to-day? Why was not Cain's gift acceptable? An outcast, 

without the tribal protection, in ancient times might be killed 
with impunity by any one; for the ancient law of blood- 
revenge required that the outcast's own blood should be shed. 
This is what Cain bemoans. God mercifully places upon Cain 
the mark of the tribe, which would stay the hand of the 
avenger as the knowledge that a man is an American citizen 
protects him in any foreign country to-day. 

Of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah the Bible says: "Enoch 
walked with God : and he was not ; for God took him. And 
Enoch begat Methusaleh ; and all the days of Methusaleh were 
nine hundred sixty and nine years." According to the Bible 
narrative, he was the oldest man that ever lived. 

5. Gopher wood: probably "cypress." A cubit was eighteen 

or twenty-one inches. It was the distance from the elbow to 

the wrist of a man. According to the Bible, Shem was 

the father of the Semetic peoples to whom the Hebrews belong ; 
Ham, the father of the negroes ; and Japheth, the father of 
the Aryan races — the Greeks, the Romans, Germans, Anglo- 
Saxons, etc. Ararat: a mountain range in Armenia over 

10,000 feet high. Clean beast: "Whatsoever parteth the 

hoof, and is cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the 
beasts, that shall ye eat." Other animals the Hebrews did 
not cat and do not to-day. Make out as large a list as you 

can of the beasts the Hebrews called clean. There are flood 

traditions among the peoples in both the Old and the New 
World. 

Among the descendants of Ham was Nimrod: "He began to 
be a mighty OOC in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 181 

the Lord ; wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty 
hunter before the Lord." 

6. Shinar: Look up this land and other geographical places, 
as they are found in the text, in the maps at the back of any 
Bible Babel, the writer believes, means "confusion." 

II. Stories of the Hebrew Fathers. — The Stories of the 
Fathers deal with the infancy of the Hebrew race, which led a 
nomadic life similar to that of nomadic tribes to-day. In Egypt 
the Israelites increased rapidly and became acquainted with the 
highest civilization of the ancient world. When they were 
led into the Wilderness by Moses, they were a horde of people, 
absolutely unorganized and unprepared for any serious work 
of conquest. The school of adversity of the wanderings in the 
Wilderness prepared them for the next step in their development, 
the invasion and conquest of Canaan by the twelve tribes, 
which were held together loosely, somewhat like a confedera- 
tion. As they increased in numbers, wealth and power, the 
next natural step was the binding together of the tribes into the 
monarchy under Saul. 

Al. Sarai: she was Abram' s half-sister. Pharaoh: a 

title as King, Kaiser, Czar. 

A3. Slime pits: wells of bitumen, a kind of asphalt used 
for mortar or cement, found by the Dead Sea to-day. 

A4. According to the customs of the East, since Sarai had 
no children, Abram was free to take another wife. Sarai 
gave him her slave as wife that he might have children. The 
slave- wife was still the property of Sarai after Hagar had 

borne children to Abraham, but Sarai could not sell her. 

Ishmael means "God hears." 

A5. In this story is emphasized the fact that Abraham is to 
be the father of a chosen nation. That the Israelites are a 
nation favored by God pre-eminently is the continually repeated 

teaching of the entire Old Testament. Abram means "lofty 

father;" Abraham, "father of a multitude of nations;" Sarai, 
"contentious" ( ?) ; Sarah, "princess." 

A6. Three men: God and two angels. butter: sour milk 

or curds, a drink. And he said, I tvill certainly return: he 

is God. 

A8. The country near the Dead Sea is of a volcanic char- 
acter. — Zoar means "smallness." Pillar of salt: the Jews 

used to point out as Lot's wife a part of the cliffs of rock 
salt, which, at the southwestern end of the Dead Sea, make it 
six and a half times saltier than the ocean. 

A9. The word Isaac means "laughter;" hence the point of 
Sarah's so naming her son born in her old age. 

A10. Clave: past tense from "cleave" possess the gate 

of his enemies: that is, "conquer." 



182 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

All. A shekel's weight of gold would be equivalent to about 
ten dollars to-day, but with a much greater purchasing power. 
My master's brother's daughter: daughter often means "de- 
scendant" in the Bible. She was really Nahor's granddaughter. 

Bl. Esau and Jacob: twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 

sod: past tense of "seethe," to boil. birthright: this would 

give Esau greater privileges and more of an inheritance from 

his father. that my soul may bless thee: a father's blessing 

was supposed to affect one's destiny. 

B2. Jacob means a "supplanter." Esau was supposed to 

be the ancestor of the Edomites, who were conquered by King 

David, but under a later king made a successful revolt. 

Question: Why is Jacob rather than Esau honored by the 
Jews, and named, with Abraham and Isaac, as one of the 
three great patriarchs of the Hebrew race ? 

B3. Rebekah would be deprived of Esau also, for he would 
have to flee the blood-avenger after murdering Jacob. 
B4. Bethel means "house of God." 

B5. Land . . . east: "Mesopotamia." until all the flocks 

be gathered, etc. : when two or three families used the same 
well, they might cover it with a stone so heavy that it would 
require the strength of all the shepherds to remove it. Thus no 

one family would use more than its share of water. her 

father's brother: brother means "nephew." tender eyed: that 

is, Leah had weak eyes. 

B6. The images were " teraphim," little household gods of 

clay, often carried about the person as charms. tabret: 

tambourine. camel's furniture: the basket seat with which 

a camel was saddled. chodc: past tense of "chide." 

Galeed: "witness-heap." Mizpah: "place of outlook." 

B7. Israel: "soldier of God" or "perseverer with God." 

Peuicl : "the face of God." Joseph was the elder of Rachel's 

two children; Benjamin, the younger. Question: Do you 

think the struggle with the angel was in any sense a spiritual 
struggle? If so, what did it signify in regard to Jacob? 

CI. A coat of many colours: a long-sleeved tunic such as 
was worn by nobles and was not adapted to a life of hard manual 

labor. Dothan was on the caravan route between Syria and 

Egypt. Reuben was Jacob's oldest child, the son of Leah. 

Her three other sons were Simeon, Levi, and Judah. pit: 

a cistern for water, dry before the season of rain. twenty 

p'nes of silr<r: it is not known exactly of how much value 
this would be to-day. Probably coined money was not used at 
that time, but silver was exchanged, according to weight, for 
different artiYl 

C3. It II not known definitely which Pharaoh this was. 

Question: Why would the position of chief baker and chief 
butler to Pharaoh be important? bakemcats : "confectionery." 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 183 

C4. Klne : "cows." corn: not our Indian corn, but "grain" 

— wheat or barley. magicians: the Egyptians and other East- 
ern peoples were great believers in magic, and the magicians 

were learned in the interpretation of dreams, omens, etc. 

took off his ring: this was equivalent to giving Joseph royal 
authority. 

C6. (2) Straitly: closely, searchingly. (3) against Joseph 

came at noon : against is used here as a conjunction. 

messes: "portions" sent as a sign of favor from one high in rank. 
A double portion was a sign of unusual favor; Benjamin's was 
extraordinary. The Egyptians sat at their feasts in rows of 
chairs facing a sideboard, from which the food was served to 

them. (4) divineth: by pouring water and then observing the 

movements or appearance of bits of precious metal or gems 

thrown into the cup. (5) earing: "plowing." (9) ivit- 

ingly : knowingly. Its root, "to wit," means "to know." Other 
forms of the verb are "wis," "wist," and "wot." 

III. The Exodus and the Wilderness. — Al. According to 
the Bible four hundred years elapsed between the days of Joseph 
and the Exodus. "The Pharaoh of the Oppression," who began 
the persecution of the Israelites, and "the Pharaoh of the 
Exodus," who finally let them leave Egypt, are supposed to be 
Rameses II and Rameses III. The Exodus occurred then about 

1200 B. C. treasure cities: where grain was stored, probably 

to supply Egyptian troops on the border. 

A2. Moses means "saved from the water." 

A4. Horeb: probably the same as Sinai. 

A5. Let the people from their works: "hinder" the people. 

tale of the bricks: the "number" of the bricks. minish: 

diminish. 

Bl. (5) murrain: cattle plague. (6) blains : blisters. (8) 
Notice that this time "the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart." 
Pharaoh had hardened his heart so often of his own will that, 
according to the working of God's law by which customary 
action becomes habit and involuntary, God may be said to have 
hardened his heart. (10) the mill: the hand-mill at which 

the grain was ground by women and slaves. hyssop: it is 

uncertain what this plant is. It was used for sprinkling with 

in ceremonies of purification. The Passover was one of the 

three great annual religious feasts of the Hebrews and celebrated 
their deliverance from Egypt. It lasted for eight days, be- 
ginning with the fourteenth of the month Nisan, or Ahib, which 
corresponds with a month of twenty-eight days in March-April. 
It is still observed. Fifty days later came the Pentecost, or 
feast of weeks, on completion of the harvest. Still later, the 
feast of Tabernacles, lasting a week, commemorated the in- 
gathering of all fruits. During it the people lived in booths, 



184 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

made of branches of pine, olive, myrtle and palm trees, and 
erected in the courts and the streets and on the roofs of the 
houses, to keep in remembrance the forty years' wanderings in the 
Wilderness. spoiled the Egyptians : plundered the Egyptians. 

B2. Six hundred thousand: perhaps this should be translated 

"six hundred clans." in a pillar of cloud and of fire: it is 

interesting to note that to-day the leader of a caravan often 
bears aloft a pole at the top of which is a brazier filled 
with smokng coals, from which a stream of smoke arises. This 
can be seen for miles in the clear light of the desert and is a 
guide to any of the caravan who may drop behind. By night, 
the light of the burning coals, held aloft, makes possible the 

long midnight journeys often necessary. the song of Moses: 

in the poetry of the Hebrews rhyme and a certain number 
of syllables in a line, were not characteristic, but, instead, parallel 
construction ; that is, the idea of a verse is repeated in the 
following, sometimes in the two succeeding lines. Notice here 
that the thought "he hath triumphed gloriously" is repeated in 
the following clause. The parallel construction can be seen 
even more easily in the next sentence. 

B3. Marah means "bitter." 

CI. Mount Sinai, recent investigators believe, is Mt. Seir 
or Mt. Serbal, both of which are outside the peninsula of Sinai, 
and not Jebel Musa, with which it has been identified by 
tradition nether: lower. 

C2. Graving: engraving. tzco tables of testimony : the 

two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments hewed upon 
them by Moses were also called the "testimony" and "covenant." 
atonement: reconciliation between God and man. 

C3. The tabernacle was used by the Israelites during their 
wanderings, and later, for the worship of God, or Jehovah. It 
was thirty cubits long by ten cubits wide, shaped like a 
parallelogram without windows, and was so constructed that it 
could easily be taken down and put up again. It was built of 
wood covered with gold, roofed with skins, and had rich cur- 
tains (vails) and hangings within. Two-thirds of its interior 
was called the Holy Place. This could be entered only by the 
priests. The innermost third was the Holy of Holies, which 
the high priest could enter once a year only, on the Day of 
Atonement. 

In the Holy of Holies was kept the ark, a wooden box 
covered with gold, with detachable carrying poles, and, at either 
end of its cover or lid, with two golden cherubim, facing 
each other. The cover, or vicrcy-srat, symbolized the cover- 
ing of sin by God's forgiveness when on the Day of Atone- 
ment the sacrifice of propitiation was made by the high priest. 
Within the ark were the two tables of stone containing the Ten 
Coniinnndments, a golden pot with manna which symbolized the 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 185 

way God preserved the Israelites in their wanderings, and also 
"Aaron's rod that budded." 

In the Holy Place were the table of shew bread (covered 
with gold) and the golden candlestick, with the golden alta* 
of incense between them, facing the entrance to the Holy of 
Holies. Twelve loaves, for the twelve tribes, were placed upon 
the table each week as an offering to God. The golden candle- 
stick had a shaft and six branches, three on either side, and 
the seven lamps were probably kept burning continuously. 

Around the tabernacle was a court open to all to worship in. 
It contained a great brazen altar for the burnt offerings near 
the entrance to the Holy Place. Still nearer it was the 
laver in which the priests washed their hands and feet and 
part of the victims for sacrifice. 

The Day of Atonement was the great national fasting day 
on which all the people humbled themselves before God on 
account of their sins. On this day the high priest would enter 
the Holy of Holies with sacrifices for himself and the people, 
among which were two goats. One of these he slew for God ; 
the other, after he had confessed over it all the sins of the 
people, was led into the wilderness and let loose. This one 
was perhaps erroneously called the "scape-goat." 

C5. Apparently: manifestly. 

Dl. Manna means, "What is it?" omer : a measure hold- 
ing between seven and eight pints. mete: measure. 

D2. Must we fetch you water: Moses' sin consisted in ascrib- 
ing to himself, and not to God, the power which caused the 
water to gush forth. 

D4. Canaan was full at that time of little quarreling city 
kingdoms, which by their continual fighting would eat up the 
inhabitants of the land. Esckcol means "cluster." 

D5. (1) put out the eyes: that is, deceive so easily. 

quick means "alive." 

D6. Water of Meribah: Moses smote the rock and water 
gushed forth at Meribah. 

D8. (1) The rewards of divination: that is, payment for 

Balaam's cursing Israel. (3) parable: the word in the 

Bible may mean any deviation from ordinary speech, as here 

where verse is substituted for prose. from the rock I see 

him: him stands for the Israelites who are referred to as Jacob 
and Israel. 

IV. The Invasion of Canaan Under Joshua. — 4. Devoted: 
animals and men devoted to God were killed; things, were 
burned or given to the sanctuary. 5. (2) The tribe of Judah 
was taken, etc.: drawing by lots was a very common way of 
deciding matters of life and death in olden times. 6. Wine 



186 OLD TESTAMENT STORIES. 

bottles were made of goat skins in Bible times. clouted: 

patched. 

7. And the sun stood still, etc.: this is part of a song de- 
scribing the great victory in poetical language. 

V. Under the Judges. — The judges of the Hebrews were 
deliverers from their oppressors even more than they were 
judges or magistrates. 1. He did gird it under his raiment 
upon his right thigh: the Moabites would not suspect Ehud 
was armed as they would look at his left thigh for a weapon. 

2. Heber the Kenite : the Kenites were a nomadic tribe, 
allies of the Israelites ; but Heber was a spy in the pay of 

Jabin. His wife Jael, however, was true to the Israelites 

From a song of victory sung after the victory we learn that 
a storm evidently made the ground so muddy that the chariots 
of the Canaanites were useless, and thus the Israelites were at 
least on equal terms with their enemies. 

3. (1) A wine press was a shallow pit where the juice 
of the grape was crushed out to flow into lower receiving 

vats. An ephah: about a bushel. Baal was the main 

God of the Canaanites and the Phoenicians. 

4. (1) Jerubbaal: another name for Gideon. Jotham's 

parable is one of the two found in the Old Testament. 

5. The reason Japhthah's daughter bewailed the fact that 
she could not have any children was because it was the ambition 
of every Hebrew woman to be the ancestress or even the mother 
of the Messiah. 

6. A Nazarite was consecrated to God before his birth. Two 
of the outward signs of this consecration were that he must 

never cut his hair and must abstain from strong drinks. 

Dagon was a god of the Phoenicians, half man, half fish. 

7. Micah had stolen the money from his mother. An ephod 

was the garment worn by a priest. 

8. (1) Naomi means "sweetness;" Mara, "bitterness." 

(2) "And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt 
not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou 
reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: 
thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: 

I am the Lord your God." hap: "lot," "fortune." 

The vinegar was a kind of sour wine. (3) uncover his feet, 
etc. : this was a custom of the Hebrews of that time by 
which Ruth would remind Boaz of his duty as kinsman to her. 
According to the Jewish law, if a man died, it was his brother's 
duty to marry His widow, and if lie died, the next heir, so that 

the family line be continued. Spread thy skirt over thine 

handmaid: the Hebrew suggests "spread thy wing." It is a 
metaphor denoting protection as a hen for it chicks. Ruth asks 
him to marry her. Even to-day when a Jew marries, he throws 



OLD TESTAMENT STORIES 187 

the skirt of his tallth over his bride to signify that he has taken 
her under his protection. Six measures of barley: a measure 

was approximately a gallon and a half, liquid measure. 

(4) "If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some 
of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then 
shall he redeem that which his brother sold." The land of 
Elimelech had been sold. The kinsman nearer than Boaz to 
Naomi is willing to buy the property and keep it in the family, 
but he gives this right up to Boaz as he is already married. 

9. (1) Samuel means "heard of God." (2) And the word 

of the Lord was precious: God's word was "scarce," for even 
the priests werj wicked ; hence There ivas no open vision, but 

only secret, as in the case of Samuel. (4) emerods were 

"tumors" or "boils. (6) A mighty man of power: a man of 

wealth. The high place, a hill top above a town, would be 

the natural spot for burnt-offerings. The Israelites often used the 

high places which the Canaanites had previously occupied. 

afterward they eat that he bidden: the blood and the fat of the 
victim was offered as sacrifice, after which the flesh was eaten. 

A company of prophets: these were religious fanatics, who 

made much of music and dancing, somewhat like the modern 
dervishes. Samuel is a prophet in the higher meaning of the 

word, a revealer of God's will, as Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. 

But who is their father?: this may mean (1) Does one's 
parentage make any difference in the matter of prophecy? or 
(2) it may express surprise that Saul, of a good "family," 
should be found among a company of prophets, of no "family." 
stuff: luggage or baggage. 



OCT 22 1912 



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